Butterfly
by April Dawn Irene
Summary: When Voldemort cast the killing curse on one year old Harry Potter, the results were catastrophic, but no one but The Dusleys knew exactly what they were. Eight years later, after four long years of searching, the truth is finally discovered.
1. Chapter 1: A Brand New Day

A/N: I got the idea for this fic in a very odd, yet vivid dream I had recently where I was Harry and he had some mental problems and I guess Dumbledore had sent Lupin and Snape to check things out after finding out or something like that. If I describe Harry's problems in the wrong way and you are offended, I am sorry. I don't know many people who have mental problems that are noticeable like Harry's is going to be.

Summary: What if Harry's mind was adversely affected by what happened with Voldemort. What if Vernon was the only one mistreating Harry and took it too far traumatizing the boy even more. Now imagine if Petunia Dursley took back her maiden name and took Harry and Dudley with her to another country in order to stay away from Vernon?

Butterfly

Chapter One: A Brand New Day

"Dudley, sweetie, would you please go wake up Harry and make sure he gets ready for school?" Petunia Evans, a rather skinny, horse-like woman with pale, neck-length blonde hair that looked like it could use a good brushing, called to her chunky, pale, blond-haired son whose blue eyes shone brightly as he sat finishing up his mathematics homework on the ratty sofa in the small living room, the family of three shared.

"Yes, Mum." Dudley replied, slipping his math paper into his binder, closing it, and setting it on the end table by the door. He walked down the narrow hallway to the bedroom at the end of it.

The door was covered with what looked like drawings made by a five or six year old with crayons and washable markers. This was the room of his ten year old cousin, a boy whose age was the same as his despite how the boy who lived in this room acted. Dudley took a deep breath and then slowly opened the door, praying that today would be one of his cousin's "good days" and that Harry would just wake up and get ready like he was supposed to without any fuss.

"Harry?" Dudley said quietly, approaching his dark-haired cousin's bed. "H-Harry, it's time to wake up. Mum said so." Slowly, Dudley could see the tale-tale signs of the other boy waking. First it was the turning over, then the slight opening of his eye lids, revealing a tiny glimpse of bright emerald green eyes, and slowly, finally, came the huge yawn and sleepy mumbles. "Morning, Harry… Do you think you'll need help with getting ready today?" Dudley asked as his cousin sat up and stretched every muscle in his slender body.

"No, I can dress myself…" Harry replied, sounding much like a four year old who just learned how to dress himself.

Harry got up out of bed clad in a pair of blue and white underwear, and half ran, half stumbled to the closet facing the end of his bed.

"Okay, I'm just going to set the timer like Mum does and go help with breakfast." Dudley said, getting a faint mumble in reply from the other boy before slowly walking out of the room. It was when he was in the kitchen helping his mother serve some hash browns when a loud thud and cry sounded from Harry's room.

Both Dudley and his mother dropped what they were doing and ran to the aid of the boy.

"Harry, sweetie, what happened?" came the sweet, caring, and yet worn sounding voice of Petunia Evans. Harry sat on the floor by a wooden chair clutching his left knee, tears freely running down his face as he sobbed. A red t-shirt, a pair of faded blue jeans with a hole in the left knee, tennis shoes, and a red baseball cap lay forgotten off to the side. Seeing that it might take a while, Petunia told her son to go serve himself breakfast while she took care of her nephew. "Harry… calm down, sweetie. Tell me what happened and I'll try my best to make it all better." She said, holding him closely in her arms as the tears and sobbing slowly died down.

"I-I-I f-fell a-a-and hur-urt m-my k-knee…" The boy stuttered, having trouble getting the words out through the tears.

"Lets get you sitting down on your bed and I'll go get the First Aid kid and we'll see what I can do." She led the boy, still clad in nothing but his underwear to his bed and helped him sit down before leaving him to go into the bathroom for the emergency supplies. Bumps and Scrapes were all too common for her nephew. She silently hoped that this time his fall wouldn't result in a visit to the doctor or even the hospital as they sometimes did.

Quickly she returned to the boy's room with a large red duffle bag filled to the brim with various first aid supplies. She quickly surveyed the boy's knee and saw that it was only slightly swollen, not enough to suggest any lasting damage, but enough to warrant use of an ice pack and perhaps some help getting ready.

"Sweetie, I'm going to go into the kitchen to get an ice pack for you to put on that knee." She said, putting a reassuring hand on the boy's shoulder.

"O-okay, A-aunt P-Petunia." He stuttered, a single tear running down his flushed face. She rushed into the kitchen, grabbing an ice pack out of the freezer and nearly ran back to her nephew, lightly pressing the blue ice pack to his injured knee.

"Here, hold this while I get your clothes." Petunia took one of Harry's hands and pressed it to the cold pack before getting up to collect the clothes that he had picked out. It was cold outside, Petunia knew. It had even been raining the last time she had checked so she grabbed the boy's warmest sweater, raincoat, boots, and umbrella. "Harry, look, I know you hurt your knee, but it's not that badly hurt. You need to go to school today, Sweetheart. Just think of how happy your teachers will be to see you after you've been gone for two weeks with the flu." Petunia patiently explained, hoping to avoid any arguments with her nephew. In response the boy slowly nodded, threw the ice pack to the side, and helped dress himself. His sweater was a deep burgundy and was hand knit by a little old lady who lived in another part of the apartment complex they resided in.

Soon enough Harry was dressed, apart from his raincoat and boots, and was slowly working through his breakfast that Dudley had so graciously put in the microwave to keep warm. This morning, it was orange juice, sausage links, scrambled eggs, and toast with grape jelly, Harry and Dudley's favorites.

"Harry, hurry up or we'll be late… You don't want to be late do you?" Dudley whined impatiently. To him, it was all too common for his cousin to take too long doing one specific thing, like eat breakfast, or tie his shoes, or even put on a clean shirt. Then there was the time it took to walk to school, especially with the Weather slowing them down.

"Dudley, don't rush him." Petunia warned. "Harry, could you please try to get breakfast eaten just a little faster. You don't want to be late and miss out on seeing Miss Bradley for your reading, do you?" Harry gave a quick shake of his head and immediately started to shovel more food into his mouth and before long the plate was empty and Harry was downing a second glass of orange juice. Less than five minutes later, both boys were fully dressed and outside walking to school. Now Petunia had clean up the kitchen and get ready to run off to work.

Dudley and Harry had arrived at Clearview Elementary just as the first bell rang, telling students to get to class. Dudley promptly dropped his cousin off at his assigned classroom and ran off to his own.

Inside Harry's class, the walls were decorated with all sorts of art work, papers, and charts with differently colored stickers on them. There were several adults in this particular classroom. One was the main teacher, Mrs. Peterson, a tall, severe looking woman with bright red hair and hazel eyes. She was very pale but the colorful, flowery dresses she wore made her look beautiful. The other two were teachers aides. Miss Hart was one of Harry's favorites. She always commented on how nice his artwork was, even though kids from other classes made fun of him because of it. She had light brown, almost blonde hair always hung loose around her head. Her eyes were a dark blue and were almost almond shaped. Her voice was like that of a thousand angels, or so Harry thought. Miss Daniels wasn't so nice. She was always the one telling Harry that he wasn't doing things right. He hated when he was stuck with her during reading when Miss Bradley, the special teacher who came from another school to help with his reading, wasn't there. She had dark black hair, and even darker eyes. She dressed nice, but Harry still though she was mean. She made him think of his Uncle Vernon, who was also very mean to him and used to hit him before his Aunt Petunia took him and Dudley away from his house.

"Welcome back, Harry." Mrs. Peterson and Miss Hart said together in unison. Both seemed very cheerful. Miss Hart lightly hugged him and led him over to the cubbyholes to deposit his raincoat and boots. "We missed you, Harry. Are you feeling better this week?"

"Um… yes… But I hurt my knee today… I fell again, but Aunt Petunia made it all b-better." Harry replied as he had to sit down to pull his left boot off. Thankfully he had been careful not to get any water in his boots or else his shoes would have gotten wet.

"Well as long as you're feeling okay. We missed you so much in here, Harry. Did you get the card from your Aunt?" Miss Hart asked, taking Harry's left boot and setting it neatly in his cubby space.

"Yeah, I have it on my-my wall. Aunt P-Petunia helped me put it there with t-tacks." He replied, looking up at the Teacher's Aide with bright eyes.

"That's nice of her to help with that. Were you able to read what the card said?"

"Not a-all the w-way. I needed Dudley to h-help with s-some words." Harry said, somewhat uncomfortably. If there was anything he hated the most, it was his trouble with reading. It was so difficult for him to read even the simplest of books. There were times when he would throw himself into a fit over not being able to finish a book by himself.

"Well, I'm sure Miss Bradley will be able to help you some more today after Reading Circle. Right now we're going to do a math worksheet. I'll help you with it if you need help." Miss Hart said softly, leading Harry over to a table where some of the other students were already sitting down.

The math sheet that was placed in front of Harry was only simple addition, but Harry and many of the other students still worked through it very slowly even with the help from the Teacher and Teacher's Aides. Harry got distracted from it far too easily and found his eyes wandering to the windows where you could see the dark clouds, heavily pouring rain onto the cold, wet earth. Harry shivered at the thought of not going out for recess. Going outside for recess was his favorite thing to do, especially because he could play soccer with some of his friends in other classes. Soccer was his favorite things to do. It wasn't something that needed math or reading. Sure he would tumble to the ground a few times a day, and it would show when he got home, but falling onto the soft grass was different than falling onto hard wooden floors.

Eventually, Harry was shaken from his daydreams by the cold presence of Miss Daniels, telling him to get back to his work.

A/N: Okay this 3 and ½ pages long and I'm getting very sleepy so I'm going to go to bed now. Hope you liked it so far. More explanation about what's going on will be added to later chapters, assuming I get enough reviews to keep this going.


	2. Chapter 2: Fustration

A/N: Alas, here is chapter 2! Now I have some explanations to make… Throughout the chapters I will leave hits as to what country, Petunia, Dudley, and Harry reside in. Also, because of not living with his father and not being particularly spoilt, Dudley is a much more pleasant person. I think perhaps I'll show a bit more of that in the next couple of chapters so read carefully.

Sou85a: I'm glad to know that someone with similar problems as what Harry has approves of this so far. Of course, you're only seeing Harry on a particularly good day with very little interaction with characters that Harry doesn't get along with. Here's Chapter 2…

Disclaimer: Okay, I know I forgot to put this in with Chapter 1 but I was writing when I was extremely tired and totally forgot. I don't own Harry Potter or any other related characters except for Miss Bradley, Mrs. Peterson, Miss Hart, Miss Daniels, and the old lady that lives in the same apartment complex as Petunia, Dudley, and Harry. I will probably make up more characters since I am forever imagining such characters for the sake of creativity, and I will say if I own them or not. I feel that this is a turning point in my writing ability and that this will be one of those fics that I will finish, no matter how long it takes, just like I plan to with my other fics, even though I'm distracted by this one right now.

Butterfly

Chapter 2: Frustration

"Harry, you need to get back to work, the other boys and girls are much further along than you are." Came the cold voice of Miss Daniels. Harry automatically snapped out of his daydreams and looked up fearfully at the dark-haired woman. He suddenly remembered his Uncle yelling at him about how he was too slow and never did anything right. His bottom lip trembled and tears threatened to fall. "Harry, don't look at me like that, you know you have work to do." She said again, gesturing to the nearly half finished math paper. Thankfully before she could say any more, Miss Hart interfered.

"Miss Daniels, I think I'll take over here." She said to her colleague before kneeling down by the clearly upset Harry. "Harry… Sweetie, calm down. You and I both know that Miss Daniels isn't going to hurt you. We'd never let anyone here hurt you or any of the other students. I know she's strict and sounds mean, but I know that in her heart, she doesn't really mean to be that way." Harry's upper lip stopped quivering and she could see his body relax. "Now, lets see what we can do about this math paper."

"O-okay…" Harry slowly said, finally turning to the paper in front of him.

It wasn't long before Harry finished the paper with the ever-so-patient help of Miss Hart. The next activity for the day was arts and crafts. Mrs. Peterson had explained to the class in a patient way, much like Miss Hart did when helping any student, that they would be making Thanksgiving Picture Frames from colored construction paper, some Popsicle sticks, and glue. Each student was given materials by the teacher and the aides.

Soon enough, Harry cast away all that surrounded him as he delved deep into the project, more enthusiastic about it than a cat would be about chasing a mouse. His Aunt Petunia always liked projects like these because they made their apartment look all the more homely. Harry loved them because arts and crafts were his specialty. Even Miss Daniels couldn't deny that. Harry focused hard on cutting out paper feathers as perfect as he could manage. With only a little assistance from Mrs. Peterson, Harry had the Popsicle frame made and was soon on to decorating it with the feathers he had cut out. It was perfect. Miss Hart helped Harry put on a square sheet of plastic in the inside so that when a picture was placed inside, it would be well protected. Then she also helped put on a backing.

All too soon for Harry's tastes, the arts and crafts time was soon over with the promise of more Thanksgiving projects in the next few weeks of school. The Principal announced that there wouldn't be any recess that day and that students must find indoor activities to participate in. Harry hated being stuck indoors. When he was younger, his aunt had learned this and made a point to take him and Dudley out to the park every single day. His Uncle had always made such a fuss about it drawing too much attention to them. Luckily that was years ago, but Harry still remembered. He always remembered those years spent in Privet Drive in his nightmares.

In an effort to keep all the students at peace, Miss Hart put out paper, crayons, and markers at one of the round tables in the room. Harry immediately went for the crayons and paper, starting a new drawing that he could put on his bedroom door or perhaps even the refrigerator. He drew Dudley and himself walking to school in their raincoats and boots, the rain pouring down in an unrelenting fury from the gloomy, dark clouds above them. He drew the puddles that littered the sidewalk and streets. He drew the trees being blown by the wind. All in all, he drew a very nice picture. The drawing versions of Harry and Dudley were both grinning, their cheeks pink because of the cold. His Aunt Petunia was sure to love it.

Of course, all this only took the better part of twenty minutes, and all too soon, the bell signaling that recess was over rang clearly, pushing Harry out of his coloring frenzy. The classroom door opened almost immediately to reveal Miss Bradley, a kind, elderly lady with graying hair pulled back into a tight bun. She wore a blue denim dress and glasses with silver rims. Seeing Harry holding his newest piece of art, she smiled warmly at the boy. In her hands was a children's book titled "The Little Red Hen". One that Harry had wanted to try to read the last time they had worked together, but hadn't had enough time. Then Harry had come down with the flu really badly and hadn't been able to go to school.

"Harry!" Miss Bradley cried in joy as the dark-haired boy ran up to her enthusiastically. "How are you feeling?"

"B-better, Miss B-Bradley." He replied with a slight stutter. It seemed that no matter how hard he tried, that stutter would never go away. He'd had speech therapy with other special teachers much like Miss Bradley. In fact, he still had occasional help with his speech, but not as often as he used to.

"Well that's good. I hope you remember last time when you said you wanted to try and tackle "The Little Red Hen", because that's exactly what we're going to try to do today." The elderly lady said, giving Mrs. Peterson a reassuring look before taking the boy's hand and leading him out to the hallway. As usual during class time, the halls were barren and made Harry feel small and more alone than usual.

"Miss B-Bradley?"

"Yes, Harry?" She replied, looking down at the boy with a curious look.

"D-do you th-think tha-that the rain will s-stop so w-we can go ou-out-s-side to-tomorrow?" He looked up hopefully at his lady companion, the glimmer of hope shinging brightly in his emerald irises.

"I don't know, Harry. But I do hope so. I rather detest storms because it keeps little boys like you, inside and can make them more ready to throw fits." She answered, lightly squeezing the boy's small hand reassuringly.

"I hope it-it stops t-too because I wa-want to p-play S-soccer tomorrow." Harry replied.

"I don't know about that Harry, even if the rain stopped right now, tomorrow the soccer field will still be soaked and there will be mud puddles all over. I don't think your Aunt would want to have to get out of work early to bring you a change of clothes."

"Oh y-yeah…" Harry said softly, hanging his head in defeat. He desperately wanted to go out and play in the sun. It made him forget about how much trouble he had with everything else, like reading and spelling among other things.

Soon enough they were at the school library sitting down with a small jar of sugar free candies and Harry was slowly working his way through "The Little Red Hen".

"'N-not I-I' s-said t-he…" Miss Bradley stopped Harry at that bit.

"Try that last word again. Remember, you read it okay on the cover."

"O-okay…" Harry replied, and then continued. "Th-the d-do-dog. 'N-no-not I' s-said the c-cat. 'N-not I-I' sa-said th-the mou-m-mouse. 'Th-the-then I w-wi-will' said the li-little r-red h-he-hen." Harry stumbled through the words. Simple as they supposedly were, they were Harry's own personal Kryptonite. There wasn't anything that made him feel worse than not being able to read something as simple as "One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish" by Dr. Seuss or even "The Little Red Hen".

"I'm sorry Harry, we're running out of time and I'm sure you've got a lot to catch up on in regular class. You can keep the book if you like." Miss Bradley said, looking immensely sorry for having to make him stop even though he was so very close to the end.

"Thank Y-you, Miss B-Bradley." Harry closed the book and clutched it tightly.

"Here, consider this a welcome back present." Miss Bradley took out a bag filled with sugar free candies, some toy cars, and a writing journal like the ones his cousin Dudley used. It also had some art supplies such as a pack of crayons and a pad of drawing paper.

"W-wow… T-thank y-you…" He stuttered, unable to truly express how grateful he was for the gifts.

"Just make sure you share those candies with your cousin Dudley. I wouldn't want him feeling left out."

"O-okay." Soon they were at the door of Harry's classroom.

"See you on Wednesday, Harry. You take care and make sure you try to read that book all the way through."

"I-I w-will." And with that he pushed his way through the classroom door, carefully tucked his book and gifts into his backpack, and joined the rest of the class. They were working on writing and Miss Hart immediately gave Harry a piece of writing paper and whispered instructions to him. He was to write about a dream he had or just make up a story. Harry's spelling wasn't very good but he tried his best.

_Last nit I haded a dreem that I woz on a fliing mortercicle. It woz big and blac. Tehn I saw a flas of green lite. _

Harry strained his mind to remember more of the dream but found that he couldn't. He stared at the paper, knowing that he had too many spelling mistakes that he couldn't remedy all by himself. Little did he know, this dream was just a hint of his past.

Four years before, far, far away in another country, an tall old man with twinkling blue eyes, long white hair and beard sat in his office, a contemplative frown on his face. In front of him sat an old lady who smelled of cabbage and was holding a grey tabby in her arms. Her hair was graying and she eyed the old man severely.

"Albus Dumbledore, I told you something wasn't right at that house! Apparently Potter has been gone from Privet Drive for almost a month now. I told you something was odd but you never listened!" she fumed.

"Arabella, please, I'm sure Harry is quite safe." The man called Dumbledore replied in a calm manner.

"Albus, don't you dare interrupt me. I wasn't finished." Arabella looked even more furious with the older man.

"Then please continue." He replied, taking a sip of tea from the cup that sat on his desk.

"That's not all, Albus. Petunia Dursley and her son Dudley have been missing too. That Vernon Dursley has been drinking heavily ever since. Last I saw of him he was lying in the front yard with a bottle of whiskey in each hand! Wherever Harry Potter has gotten to, I'll bet my collection of buttons that Petunia Dursley and Dudley Dursley are with him. At night I hear that awful Dursley man calling out for his Dinky Diddy Dums and his Pretty Petunia. I want to know what is going on!"

"Of course, Arabella. I will send someone to find out as much as possible."

Four Years Later, an unpleasant looking man with greasy black hair that hung limp at his shoulders, with a hooked nose, and wearing a black trench coat, a black t-shirt, black dress pants, and black leather boots sat in an airplane with another man who had brown flecked hair which was neatly combed, he looked quite ill and wore a brown suit with patches all over. He seemed pleasant enough and both talked to each other. If someone were to listen closely to what they were saying, they would hear something about Muggles, a Potter, and various cursing coming especially from the man clad in black.

A/N: Okay I think this was a little bit longer than the first but I can't be sure. Any guesses as to what country these two men are headed for? Any guesses as to who these two men are?


	3. Chapter 3: Shocking Truths

A/N: Okay here's chapter 3. I can't believe I'm dishing out a third chapter in just a matter of hours since I finished and posted chapter 2. Now for some explanations.

In response to the question about how Snape will react, I think Snape is going to have to be much kinder than normal in order to be able to teach Harry anything IF Harry is able to come to Hogwarts at all.

For a question I forgot to answer in my rush to write the second chapter, In the United States, People use Jams and Jellies (grape jelly, apricot jelly, strawberry jam. It's all really the same thing except that jellies don't have any bits of the fruit in it like Strawberry Jam does. I should know, Grape Jelly is my favorite thing to have on toast, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and on English muffins. It's very good and not at all odd.

For the question about his illness, you're looking at a very complex Harry Potter. As in the first chapter, his behavior early in the morning was like that of a four year old. He has some serious troubles with his school work, especially in reading and writing. He also has some problems when focusing on one thing. Art is the exception in this case. The Harry in this fic is very good at making art projects and drawing (even if he specializes in childish drawings but he's getting better). Harry also loves to play Soccer, even if he is a bit clumsy for his physical age. Personally I know someone who is in her twenties and yet acts between the ages of 5 and 15 and can flash from one age behavior to another in an instant. Harry is able to dress himself, even if it does take some time. He has a hard time tying his shoes and buttoning his shirts, but then again, I was never good with buttoning shirts and still have some trouble with anything that needs to be buttoned. (I'm talking about the buttons that go in the slits of fabric…) Living under his Uncle Vernon's roof for 5 years of his life haven't helped. I will explain in later chapters in more detail. I'm still working the ideas out in my head. BTW, Harry does not respond well to those with a strict tone of voice as shown in chapter 2. That there was only a small example of how he really reacts to what he thinks is a full fledged threat.

Butterfly

Chapter 3: Shocking Truths (Yeah I know I used this title for another story but I mean… How else do you expect the Wizards to react when they find out about Harry.)

Almost a week later, two mysterious men could be seen walking down the street which the apartment complex in which Petunia, Dudley, and Harry lived in was on. These were the same two men that had been seen on an air plane and had attracted strange looks from young children on board.

It so happened that these two men were walking down the street, very quietly discussing something.

"Remus, are you _sure _that this is the street? These flats aren't nearly nice enough to have Harry _bloody _Potter inside them." The one in black said venomously.

"I'm sure, Severus." The man in brown replied, looking around curiously. "We've been looking for him for four years, Sev. This is the first time we've gotten anywhere close to finding out what's happened. If I'm wrong about this being the street, then you can make me go without Wolfsbane for a year." Remus said, a hint of fear in his voice.

"Have you gone insane, Lupin? I would never make you do such a thing and don't expect to convince me to." Severus softly cried out.

Now it just so happened to be that Harry, Dudley, and a few kids that lived nearby had decided to go out for a small game of soccer. Sadly, there was no emply lot or field in which they could play so the group of kids decided to play in the street. After all, no one really owned a car in this particular area so there really wasn't too much traffic. Besides, they had a score keeper whose little brother was more than happy to serve as a look out for any cars coming their way. This was the first truly sunny day since that gloomy Monday on which Harry had come back to school and so it was also the first chance he and the others had gotten a chance to play.

Dudley had been picked as a team captain and had immediately picked Harry as his first player. After all, Harry was quite good at the game.

The other captain was Marc, and eventually both teams had an almost equal shot at winning.

Remus and Severus had both walked quite a bit before they had spotted the kids playing and stopped to watch. The boys playing basically ignored the adults and played their hardest.

Eventually Remus and Severus grew tired of watching the young children at play and decided to walk a bit further. Having become hungry, Remus suggested they go buy something to eat at a corner store they came across. Inside, while Severus was still trying to decide which candy bar he would like to try, Remus had bumped into Petunia. He recognized her from old photos of her and Lilly.

"Petunia? Petunia Dursley?" She stared at him, perhaps scared more than just startled. She hadn't been called that for an entire four years. How was it that this man knew her name?

"W-who the hell are you, and how do you know my married name?" She hissed at him, her protective instincts taking over.

"I'm Remus Lupin, an old friend of Lily's." He watched as her eyes widened in realization of who he was and perhaps why he was there.

"I'm assuming that man in the trench coat is your colleague then?" Petunia said, her eyes darting to Severus, who was quickly making his way to them.

"Yes. This is Severus Snape." At this Snape nodded at her.

"I suppose you want to talk to me about my nephew then? We can talk on the way to my apartment. It's just down the street. Now if you'll just let me get these things paid for." Petunia said, taking the things she had selected from the shelves and paid for them. Afterwards she tucked two lollipops she had purchased into her pants pocket.

"What is it you want to talk to me about?" Petunia asked as the three left the store and headed back to the apartment complex.

"About Harry. As you know, when he turns eleven, he'll be going to Hogwarts. His name has been on the list since forever." Remus said, unsure of how to approach the subject.

"I don't think that will be possible, Mr. Lupin." Petunia replied.

"And why would that be?" Snape questioned her.

"Please, this is very hard to explain. I don't think Harry would be up to the level your school would need him to be." Petunia replied nervously. She had known long before now that explaining her nephew's problems would be a hard task, even for her.

"Petunia, if I may call you that…" said Snape. "You should know that most students come into Hogwarts knowing little to no magic. Many are Muggleborn or rather, like your nephew, raised by and around Muggles. There should be no problem for Harry to adjust."

"No, Mr. Snape. You don't understand. Harry… He wouldn't be able to do the work. I've seen those books your school uses when Lily was going there. My nephew isn't even close to that level of reading, let alone writing. Even in a year, I don't think he'll be up to that level yet." Petunia answered. Her beautiful blue eyes were cast downward, as if some part of her felt that her Nephew's troubles were somehow her fault.

"I'm afraid w-we don't quite understand, Petunia." Remus looked at Lilly's sister curiously. Snape was watching her with his trademark contemplative look

"P-please, maybe this would be better explained if we were to all be sitting down. This here is the apartment complex that we live in. Please, come with me." Petunia led them inside the apartment, up the stairs, and to apartment number 21. She knocked on the door, only to be greeted by a rather plump Hispanic woman with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. She smiled at Petunia and then gave a confused look at the two men with her.

"Petunia, since when did you start bringing men home?" the lady asked.

"Not often. These two are old friends of my sister, Harry's Mum. Could you perhaps help me get these to the kitchen, Carla?"

"Of course, Petunia."

"How did the boys behave?" Petunia asked, catching a glimpse of Harry napping on the couch. "I hope they didn't get into any trouble."

"Of course not. They did go outside for a bit to play soccer. Harry did scrape his knee but Dudley quickly got him back inside so I could clean up that knee of his. After I gave them lunch, that one there just curled up on the sofa and fell asleep while Dudley was watching cartoons."

"Oh, good. Now I won't have to worry about spoiling them with Pizza tonight." She said, quickly walking back to the door where Lupin and Snape stood waiting.

"Oh please, you two, just come in." Petunia said, grabbing her purse and taking out some assorted dollar bills.

"Twenty-five, twenty-six, twenty-seven… Here Carla." She handed the money over to the woman, receiving a nervous look in exchange.

"Petunia, you know you don't have to pay me, and certainly not that much."

"Carla, I don't know what it is about you, but sometimes you seem to bring the best out of the boys. Just take the money, and I'll see you tomorrow." She said, giving Carla a friendly hug.

After Carla left, Petunia scooped Harry up in her arms, despite the boy's weight, and carried him into his bedroom, tucked him into bed, and gently kissed his forehead. In Dudley's bedroom, Dudley was busy playing with his Transformers action figures. She looked in, and then slowly closed the door as to not bother the boy, and went back into the living room where Severus Snape was sitting down on the worn sofa, and Remus Lupin had busied himself by admiring both Harry and Dudley's different pieces of art.

"You like that one, Mr. Lupin?" Petunia asked, gesturing to the particular photo frame that he was currently11ooking at.

"Yes, it's very nice. Who made this?"

"Harry made it." She replied curtly.

"Really, how long ago. This seems like something a very young child would make." He commented.

"Last week… In fact it was just this last Monday that he brought it home." She said. Both Remus and Severus stared at her in shock.

"But he's…"

"Ten years old?" Petunia finished for the wizard. "He may be in terms of how many years he's been alive, but that doesn't mean he acts it or even has the abilities that most ten year olds do."

"How old does he normally act?" Snape asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"It often depends. Usually like a four or five year old would. Very rarely does he act near the age of ten. At rare times he acts as an eight year old would but that is so rare that I hardly get to see such behavior." Petunia folded her hands on her lap. "Now, why don't I get some tea ready, and then I'll call in to order some Pizza. You don't mind a combination with extra sausage do you?" she asked, getting up from her seat.

"Of course not, Ma'am." Remus replied.

"It is fine with me as well." Severus stated.

When Petunia was in the kitchen, Snape turned to Remus with a questioning look on his face.

"Lupin, you wouldn't happen to know what Pizza is, would you?"

"Of course I do. Lily took all of the Marauders out for Pizza one time. It's a round food made of a special bread with a special, thick tomato paste, cheese, and other toppings like certain vegetables and meats, that is baked. Then it is cut into triangular slices and eaten with your bare hands or perhaps even a napkin, if the eater so desires to use one." Remus explained as best he could. Suddenly the two men caught sight of a pale boy in light blue thermal pajamas whose black, messy hair made him look like he had just woken up. He held a faded brown teddy bear tightly to his chest and gaped at them in what seemed to be fear. Remus and Severus both could tell that this was the same Harry Potter they had seen only a little while before, sleeping soundly on the couch.

"Hello." said Remus, as kindly as he could manage in his shock of seeing the boy so afraid of him. The boy only stepped further back into the hall way and held the worn bear even more tightly if that was even possible.

"I don't think he's used to seeing strangers in his living room, Lupin." Snape murmured to his colleague.

"Harry, finally, you're awake." Petunia said, coming in and noticing the child. "It's okay, Sweetie. These men are friends. This is Mr. Lupin and Mr. Snape." Petunia gestured to the men. Harry finally relaxed a bit and timidly put out his hand in greeting. Both men shook took their turn to shake the boy's hand. "Harry, do you think you could tell Dudley that we're having Pizza tonight and that I would like him to help with setting the table?" Petunia asked, as she looked directly into the boy's emerald colored eyes.

"Y-yes, A-aunt P-Pet-Petunia." He gave his aunt a quick hug before running off to relay the message.

Remus and Severus shared a severe glance and then turned to look directly at Petunia.

"D-does he stutter all the time?" Remus spoke. He knew from personal experience that stuttering and magic didn't go together very well. Children who came to Hogwarts with a stutter often had to have extra training in casting spells. Peter Pettigrew, one of the Marauders, was a prime example.

"Mostly… Other days he hardly speaks at all. He had to have three years of speech therapy before he started speaking this clearly and this often." Petunia said as she began pouring hot tea into three ceramic tea cups. She had also brought some sugar, milk and a plate of blueberry muffins with a butter tray on the side.

"Mum, how come we have to set the table if we're just having Pizza?" came the voice of Dudley as he walked into the room, eying the two men sitting on the couch. Harry wasn't too far behind him, still clad in blue thermals, but with his hair quite a bit neater looking.

"Because, we're going to have a salad with the pizza. You don't think that I was going to let you get away with just having a greasy pizza did you?" Petunia replied to her son. "Now, if you would be so kind, I want you to put out the plates and three adult cups." She said, giving the blond boy a serious look that said 'I mean business'. She turned to Harry and smiled gently. "And Harry, do you think that you could put out the silverware and two cups for you and Dudley?" Dudley had already gone to do is chore as she said this. Harry slowly nodded.

"Ye-yes A-aunt Pet-Petunia." He said before running off to do what was asked.

"Petunia, please, perhaps we can… work something out to ensure that he can come to Hogwarts. Perhaps we could have Albus Dumbledore come and talk it over with you and Harry. Your nephew is a hero in the Wizarding world. It would disappoint so many people if Harry James Potter were to never attend Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, the whole community would be in an uproar. There must be something that the magical world can do for Harry that the muggle world can't. Please, just let us try to work it out." Remus said, getting desperate in an attempt to convince the woman to permit such a thing. Severus glanced at the other man with a look that seemed to mean 'we'll talk about this later in private'.

"I suppose that it wouldn't hurt to try. Perhaps we can arrange something for say… next Saturday?" She said after taking a sip of tea. Just as soon as the three had finished there was a yell that came from the kitchen, a crash, and a startled yelp. Petunia and the two men ran to the kitchen to find Harry nursing a bleeding cut on his hand, tears running down reddened face as he sobbed. Dudley was kneeling on the floor, trying to pick up all the pieces of plate that had broken upon contact with the tiled floor.

A/N: Okay, I think I'll stop for now. Hope you enjoyed Chapter 3, and please, if you can review as a registered user, that way I can reply to your comments personally, rather than going against the rule about replying to reviews… Chapter 4 will come soon, I promise you.


	4. Chapter 4: Tantrums and Ponderings

A/N: This is Chapter 4 but before I start, I have some comments to respond to…

Harry is scared more of other men, rather than just strangers. But he's especially afraid of strange men. Also, Harry had problems before Vernon started abusing him, and in fact, part of the reason Harry was abused was because of Vernon Dursley's inability to understand that Harry was incapable of doing what he expected of him. Also, Dudley wasn't really complaining about eating at the table, it's just, what child wants to eat Pizza with Salad? I mean when I was little I always just liked eating the Pizza and never was too happy when I had to eat a salad as well. Remember, Dudley and Harry are only 10 years old, well… Harry is mentally younger but still…

Disclaimer: Oh yeah, I don't own Harry Potter, if I did, don't you think I'd overthrow the books and put this in it's place? Oh and I only have a dollar in my wallet, a 44 ounce cup of Pepsi, a couple containers of Lemonade powder, and some cup o ramen thingies… Oh and my computer but I'd probably die of heart break if you ever took it away.

Butterfly

Chapter 4: Tantrums and Ponderings

Petunia Dursley quickly cleaned up Harry's cut, not asking any questions about what happened. This type of thing had happened almost every day when Harry was younger.

"I-I J-ju-j-just w-wa-want-e-ed to-to h-he-help." Harry sobbed as Petunia held her nephew in a tight embrace.

"I know, sweetie, it's not your fault. Just make sure to be extra careful next time." Petunia cooed at him. It took several minutes before Harry was calm enough to come into the living room and sit down while they waited for their pizza to arrive.

Not even an hour later the Pizza arrived and they all sat around the table, eating pizza and salad.

"Harry, please eat your salad with the fork." Petunia reminded the boy as she caught him picking at the salad with his fingers.

"I d-don't wa-want t-to…" Harry cried, throwing his fork onto the floor, a scowl quickly forming on his face. Petunia looked at her nephew and sighed. She had known the peace that they'd had for almost a week wouldn't last.

"Harry, please pick up your fork and rinse it off." Petunia replied, her voice stern. . In response, Harry just scowled even deeper and knocked his cup, half full of water, down onto the floor. Snape just stared at the boy, partially in shock, and partially trying to come up exactly what he would tell Dumbledore when the time came to report their findings. Remus seemed somewhat more nervous than usual. Clouds of doubt seemed to form in his eyes.

"Now you can pick up and rinse your cup off as well."

"No!" Harry yelled defiantly. Severus dearly hoped that if this boy were to ever attend Hogwarts, that his behavior would be improved, especially if he had to teach him.

"Well then, you can stand in the corner for five minutes and you won't get any dessert." Petunia told the boy, exhaling through her nose, something that she usually only did when angry or stressed out.

"I w-won't!" Harry screamed back, running off to the living room in what seemed to be a blur of black hair and blue jammies.

"Uh oh, I think it might be time for bed for a certain somebody who won't behave at the table…." Petunia called, getting up to solve things. While in the kitchen, Severus, Remus, and Dudley all continued eating almost in silence, the only sounds coming from them being the usual breathing noises and the sound of food being chewed along with the sound of forks clinking against the ceramic plates.. Coming from in the living room and the hall, Harry's yells and cries could be heard with the occasional, "I mean it.", "Don't touch that.", and finally an exasperated "That's it, you're going to bed if I have to carry you there myself!" coming from Petunia.

Petunia finally came back in, Harry's tired cries still heard from his bedroom. She looked tired and worn as well as apologetic.

"I'm sorry, really, I should have warned you… He tends to get into fits like that ever so often, especially when he's spent all day playing or when he's sick…" She said, coming back to her own plate. "Dudley, are you done?" She asked her son, whose plate was empty.

"Yes, Mum." Dudley replied, setting his fork onto his plate.

"Okay, why don't you get ready for bed, then? You've got that spelling test tomorrow, right?" she asked, pulling a fake smile onto her face.

"Yeah…" Dudley said, putting his and Harry's dishes into the sink before turning and giving his mum a hug and receiving a kiss on the forehead.

"Night, Dudley, I'll come in and tuck you in later, okay?"

"Okay, Mum." Dudley replied, walking off down the hall to take a warm shower.

"Do you see what I mean now?" Petunia asked when they were finally alone in the kitchen.

"Somewhat, but I don't quite know if that will quite be enough for Albus Dumbledore…" Severus said darkly, as he took another slice of pizza from the box.

"And don't forget the rest of the wizarding world…" Remus added.

"Oh yes, cater to the wizarding world… that's all we're supposed to do isn't it?" Snape replied sarcastically, a nasty smirk crossing his face for the better part of a split second.

"Why don't we go into the living room and talk about this some more, that is, if you're done eating, gentlemen." Petunia suggested, an exhausted look on her face.

"Actually Petunia, you look tired, perhaps Severus and I should go to our motel room and let you sleep. I'm sure it would save much time if we were all to sort this out once Albus Dumbledore is able to come here." Remus replied, all too aware of just how tired the poor woman must be. Even Severus could relate, seeing as he had to deal with hundreds of students daily, quite a few of them more adept at blowing up cauldrons than making potions.

"That sounds like a wonderful idea. Perhaps it would be best if, in the future, we meet on one of my days off. I usually have Saturdays off of work so that's really the only choice we have… I can't afford to miss a day of work unless I absolutely can't help it." She said, yawning slightly, unable to keep herself from doing so. That nights dishes would have to be done the next morning along with the breakfast dishes.

"Well then, I bid you a good night and I hope that things look up tomorrow morning." Remus replied, shaking the skinny woman's slender hand.

"And I do as well. Good night, and I hope to see you and your family again." Severus took hold of Petunia's hand and politely kissed the back of it.

As soon as the two men had left, Petunia locked the doors, turned out all the lights, tucked her son and nephew into bed, turned on the night lights which Harry usually used if he needed to use the toilet at night, went into her own bedroom, disposed of her clothes, pulled on a night gown, and promptly threw herself onto her bed and fell into a fitful slumber filled with dreams of dangerous things that could take her beloved boys away from her.

Down the street, about five or six blocks away from where they had been only an hour before, Severus Snape and Remus Lupin both lie in their motel room, each with their own bed, discussing the afternoon and night's events.

"I don't understand it, Sev. Why Harry? Why, out of all the Wizarding kids today, does Harry have to deal with that?" Remus wondered as he lay there, staring at the white ceiling with peeling paint.

"There are things in this world that we have no control over, Remus. No other person has ever had the killing curse cast upon him and lived to tell it. Of course, that's even assuming that the Harry we saw today was even the same child as the one that Lilly Potter gave birth to." Severus replied, still feeling as if that day was only a dream or rather nightmare.

"No, it's him… you can see it in his eyes… I remember the look in his eyes when he was just a baby. He's still there, only restrained by his own mind. I only hope he'll be able to break himself free with time." Remus managed to get out, his voice choked by tears.

"Just go to sleep. Remember, we have a journey in the morning." Severus turned around and closed his eyes, cleared his mind, and promptly fell asleep. Remus, however, had a hard time sleeping. There was just too much to think about, and his mind just wouldn't shut off willingly. Silently he stared at the ceiling, his mind reeling with the mere prospect of Harry going to Hogwarts as he was now. Slowly, eventually, he fell into a less than peaceful slumber.

Remus had been having quite a pleasant dream, one where he, James, and Sirius were still young, quite alive, and free, all three of them dreaming of their futures as Wizards. He had always dreamed of being cured of his lycanthropy and being able to start a family of his own, being able to have a good, steady job, and most of all, being able to not worry about the full moon except when it came to making potions or for other classes, like divination.

Sirius Black dreamed of being able to leave his retched home, once and for all. He desperately desired to be thought of without the entire Black family history behind him. He wanted younger students to look upon him with the thought "Wow, Sirius Black is so cool." As opposed to "Sirius Black is such a filthy blood traitor." He wanted Voldemort to be destroyed as well, a desire that the three all shared.

James had always had trouble deciding whether or not he wanted to pursue a career in Professional Quidditch, or becoming an Auror. He dreamed of a time when the Wizarding world no longer had to hide from the likes of Voldemort and his Death Eaters. He also wanted Lily Evans to see past his troublemaking exterior and see him for the man that was hidden inside.

At the time, the three hadn't known anything that they had dreamed would actually come true. In fact, the three boys had been doubtful about them. Little did they know that each of their dreams had partially come true, but not totally, and not for long.

Remus could now take Wolfsbane Potion, if Severus Snape was so kind as to brew it for him. While he wasn't cured, as long as he took the potion, his transformations weren't nearly so dangerous to others and even more importantly, at least in Dumbledore's eyes, himself.

Sirus was no longer in his Family home, but that didn't mean he was free. Nowadays the people that did think about him really only remembered a guy who had given up Lily and James Potter to the dark lord, robbing young Harry Potter of his parents. They remembered that Poor Peter Pettigrew and how Sirius had blown him up in the middle of a Muggle street and the only part that had been found was one of his fingers. To this day, the only people who ever spoke well of him at all could be found at Hogwarts, in the minds and hearts of people who didn't quite believe it to be true, but still, now he lay rotting in Azkaban, the most notorious Wizarding Prison whose fame was much like that of Alcatraz, a muggle prison which was on a rather cold, wet rock, surrounded by the ocean. Both Prisons, different in origin, were similar. The only difference really was the muggle contraptions and lack of Dementors patrolling the prison, sucking all the happiness out of those sentenced there. Alcatraz was now more of a Muggle attraction where tourist would go to learn about the place.

James Potter was no longer alive. In fact, his and his wife's lives had been stolen away when their only child, Harry, had been a year old. Voldemort had been the culprit and had been somehow defeated by their son at the same time. That didn't mean people were free of fears about the dark lord, in fact that was far from the truth. One could still often hear whisperings of you-know-who and he-who-must-not-be-named among the wizarding community. Of course, it was all much different than before. Voldemort was nowhere to be found by even the best witches and wizards.

Things were different, but everyone still worried, some while sitting at a pub drinking till they couldn't drink any more or while they tucked their children in for bed. Others constantly worried about the dark times ahead. Albus Dumbledore was one of these people who always pondered these things no matter what they were doing even as he joyously welcomed students into the halls of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He thought about it as he popped a lemon drop, his favorite muggle sweet, into his mouth. He thought of it as he sat at the Staff table in the Great Hall at meal times, during a walk by the Black Lake, while watching a Quidditch match between Gryffindor and Slytherin, and last but not least, while taking a bath. He was a very complex person despite his sunny exterior hid a confused and worried old man. No ordinary person could see it in his eyes, not yet at least. Only someone who knew him well, such as Minerva McGonagall could see the tiny lines of worry that were beginning to form around his eyes. She could see the way the twinkle had begun to fade from his eyes.

Minerva was a severe looking woman with dark graying hair that was held in a tight bun. She wore square framed glasses and her lips were often held tightly.

"Albus, I'm surprised to see you still up? Are you feeling alright?" Minerva asked, walking to where Dumbledore sat at his place in the great hall.

"I'm fine, Minerva." Dumbledore replied, his blue eyes gazing upon her. "I was just going over the message Severus sent me."

"Whatever do you have that man doing? He should be here teaching, Albus!" she cried in response. A Horace Slughorn had taken over the Potions classes this year and Albus had said that Severus Snape was away doing some field research. Minerva knew that Severus was never one for leaving the Dungeons unless it was an important matter, and with her knowledge of how Albus Dumbledore ran things, she knew that something must be up.

"Minerva, I suppose that the time is ripe to tell you." Albus sighed, picking up a tattered piece of lined muggle paper. "Please, sit down." She did as he said and he soon began to tell her.

"About four years ago, Arabella Figg came to me panicked. She hadn't seen Harry Potter at his residence for a month. Not only that, but Petunia and Dudley Dursley were gone from their home as well. Vernon Dursley, Harry's Uncle, was the only one there and was acting quite strangely, getting drunk on his front lawn, calling for his Pet and his Dudders. Other times throwing himself into a rage and throwing things around.

She explained to me that even though she had rarely seen the boy, let alone spoken to him, that something always seemed off about him. I called Remus Lupin and Severus to my office after Arabella left and asked them to go on a mission to find Harry, wherever he could be. It wasn't until this summer that they had found a lead." Albus folded his hands in his lap.

"You're telling me it's taken four years for them to find Harry Potter? Where is he? Is he okay?" came the questions. Minerva had always been fond of the Potters, especially of Lily Evans Potter, a girl with a heart of gold and green eyes more stunning than emeralds. She had been there when Albus had put young Harry on the Dursley's doorstep. The child hadn't even cried and was asleep at the time. She had seen the Dursleys as she had spent an entire day watching them in their frivolous activities. Of course, it hadn't even taken half the day for her to come up with an opinion and had deemed them unworthy of caring for the baby boy. She had voiced her opinion to Albus as soon as he had arrived with his put-outer.

"Yes, Minerva, but you see, Severus was only able to search during the summers, and Remus was always interrupted by the full moon. It was only yesterday they were able to get in touch with Harry's aunt and actually speak to Harry. It's not how long it's taken that disturbs me, Minerva, it is what they observed that keeps me up this late." Dumbledore straightened up in his chair and picked up an ornate clear glass jar with yellow lemon drops inside. "Lemon Drop, Minerva?" He offered, holding the jar open and within her reach.

"No, thank you, Albus. Please, why don't you continue telling me about young Potter?" She suggested, looking at the jar in distaste.

"Of, course, of course…" He replied as he selected a lemon drop and then popped it into his mouth. "What they found, is that young Harry is… well… how do I say it? He looks nine years old, but is mentally around the age of five or six most of the time."

"Albus Dumbledore, you had better not be pulling my leg. I find that highly unbelievable." Minerva gasped in shock.

"As unbelievable as it may be, Minerva, Severus seems to think that it may have to do with when Voldemort cast the killing curse on the boy. He and Remus also noticed that the boy seemed fearful of them, in a way that would suggest that he had been abused, but that his Aunt and Cousin seemed to treat the boy in a caring way and Severus thinks that it could explain why Petunia took her son and nephew out of her Husband's home and stopped in the United States, never getting back in touch with the man." Albus explained calmly.

"But Albus, if the boy is unable to attend Hogwarts… What about… Voldemort? What about everything? What are we going to do?" Minerva cried, a single tear slipping down her left cheek.

"I was going to call you in here after I thought it all out, but I think now that I shall join Severus and Remus in the United States and discuss this with Harry's Aunt. Perhaps I can find some way of helping the boy in a way that Muggle medicine cannot."

"When are you going?"

"Tomorrow night. I shall leave you in charge and take a port key to the place where Severus and Remus are staying." Dumbledore replied, getting up to softly pat the Headmistress on her shoulder.

"Well then, I hope things go well. I am tired Albus, so I shall leave you to sort this mess out and sleep. I have first year Gryffindors and Slytherins tomorrow morning."

"Of course, and I bid you good night, Minerva." And with that, McGonagall left through the stone stairway and quickly found herself back in her own rooms.

A/N: Okay I know this is a little short, but I think it's a good one. After all, we are finally introduced to Minerva McGonagall and see Albus preparing to see what is going on in person. Now please, Read and Review. You don't know how much the reviews mean to me, especially if they are helpful as in telling me what you like and dislike. I also like to hear ideas. I cannot stress it enough that I would really appreciate it if you people that have been reviewing without a registered screen name would please either register or log in to your existing accounts when reviewing so that I can reply to you rather than having to reply in new chapters. Thank you for all the support so far. Kudos! You can also find this fic on  under the same screen name.


	5. Chapter 5: Panic, Fear, and Worry

Author Note: (As of 9/4/2012) A recent reader brought up an issue with the formatting that I had long forgotten to try and fix. I hope that it is fixed now and I would like to thank that reader for reminding me. It was the fault of , I'm afraid.

Butterfly

Chapter 5: Panic, Fear, and Worry

The next morning had gone well, Dudley had already been ready for school and had already gotten Harry up and partially ready before Petunia had awoken from her unusually deep slumber. Usually she would awaken at each small noise that was made during the night, from the small cough coming from either boy's room, to the loud flushing of the toilet when the boys would wake up with a full bladder. Rubbing the sleep from her eyes she tiredly went into the kitchen and began a breakfast of pancakes, bacon, peaches, and cranberry juice. The two boys had soon been sent off to school and Petunia was left alone to clean up and get ready for work.

That was when the whole world seemed to come crashing down on the thinly spread woman. No sooner had she gotten to work when she was called off to speak with her boss. Her boss was a severe woman with little patience. Petunia knew that much from the stories that her co-workers had told her of their encounters with her. She was a plain looking woman with tan skin, short brown hair that barely went past her ears in the back, and grey eyes that showed nothing but cold indifference. She wore a woman's suit and was to be found at her large wooden desk tapping what looked to be a highly expensive pen upon the desktop. Petunia had to inwardly shudder and gulp several times before she sat down, fearing what would come next.

"Miss Evans, are you aware that you have missed a grand total of 260 hours this year alone?" the woman asked coldly.

"Yes, I know. I was unable to avoid missing those hours. You see…" Petunia tried to explain.

"Evans, this company does not thrive on truant workers. I'm afraid that I'm going to have to let you go."

"But Ma'am, I need the money… my nephew and son…"

"I have no other choice. I need workers who can guarantee that they will be here. Kindly collect your personal items from your cubicle and report back for your pink slip when you are done."

All through the day, as Petunia walked around town, looking for a new job, dark thoughts crossed her mind. Thanksgiving was just in a few days and not long afterwards, there was Christmas to worry about. Never before had she been unable to buy at least one toy for each of the boys but prospects looked grim this year. She had gone to charities for clothes and food, but toys were another thing. Few charities actually gave out toys at Christmas, and she knew that Dudley and Harry were probably already dreaming of what "Santa" would bring them. If she was even able to get toys for the boys, they'd probably be very cheap ones and definitely not ones the boys would usually ask for. She'd have to keep her unemployment a secret, to keep the boys from becoming stressed out. After all, they had to worry about school, especially Harry since his IEP goals for that year were very far from being accomplished because of all the times Harry had been sick so far that year. Harry was supposed to be reading at the second grade level by summer, but it just wasn't happening. Dudley too, was hard pressed to do better in school. He was supposed to be able to do 100 multiplication problems in only three minutes and had to work on his reading comprehension.

Over and over her mind toyed with the idea of not being able to get a job. Petunia couldn't imagine having to rely on Welfare along with the Social Security Benefits that Harry received. Why was it that every time things started looking just a little better, that they always had to come crashing down not too long later? Petunia decided to stop at a small deli and order a six inch sub with ham and turkey breast. It was there that she bumped into Remus Lupin.

"Oh, hello, Petunia. Fancy meeting you here." He said, shaking her hand.

"Why yes… hello." She replied distractedly, forcing a smile at the man.

"Do you come here often?" Remus asked, pulling a chair out for the woman.

"Not really… I was just hungry and decided to come here instead…" she lied, taking her seat. Remus was silent for a bit as he sat down next to her. The truth was that she came to the deli each and every time she needed to think.

"Is there something wrong?" He asked, looking at her curiously. The fighting spirit that had been in her eyes the night before seemed to have vanished and been replaced with a forlorn emptiness.

"Oh, it's nothing but the occasional obstacle in my path." She replied. She took several bites before Remus broke the silence between them.

"If there's anything you need, all you have to do is come to me or Severus and we can try to help." He said quietly.

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind, Mr. Lupin. Now if you don't mind, I have to go and buy some rolls and other things for supper. Good day." Petunia lied, all too eager to avoid dealing with the Man's questions.  
It was cold out and it had begun to rain as Petunia had walked back to her apartment. She was only five blocks away and already soaked. She knew Carla and Dudley would think it odd. She cursed her stupidity for not dressing appropriately for the kind of weather that had been forecast on the radio that morning.

That evening she felt even more tired and stretched than she had when she first brought the boys to the United States. That first year had been exhausting but at least she had the boys safe from her ex-husband's clutches. That had been the most warming thought that entire year. Now she feared being unable to clothe and feed the two boys.

She was terrified of what might happen to what was left of their small, broken family. Before getting to the door of their apartment, she took a deep breath and collected herself. She would not let on that anything was the matter.

Back at their motel room, Remus Lupin told Snape of his encounter with Miss Evans. Snape agreed that there was probably something major going on and that it would probably be good if they were to have their next visit a bit sooner than planned.

Dumbledore was soon contacted via owl and he had immediately alerted Minerva McGonagall to his departure and portkeyed to the motel room where Snape and Remus stayed at.

"What is the emergency, m'boys?" Dumbledore asked as soon as he had collected himself.

"Headmaster, Lupin here thinks that something serious has happened since our visit yesterday evening." Snape reported immediately.

"Remus, do you care to explain?" Dumbledore looked at the younger man in concern.

"As we told you in our letter, It seems that Saturdays are Petunia's only days off. Only a few hours ago, I saw her at a deli looking rather worried about something. I'd say it probably has to do with money, after all, the only real decorative things at her apartment are the things that Harry and her son have made in school and a few photos of the three of them. I've never seen anyone so worried, not even Lily when they had to go into hiding from… Voldemort." Remus said quickly, forcing the last word from his tongue.

"Well then, we shall see what this is all about. Severus, are you going to join us?"

"Actually, Headmaster, I think I shall stay here and see if I can find anything that may prove useful to help remedy young Potter's condition." Severus replied, a book on Mental Health in the Wizarding Community already open in his lap.

"Well then, Remus, I guess we'd best be off. I suppose we shall walk to this place?" Dumbledore suggested, clapping a hand on Remus' shoulder as they made for the door.

Back at the Evans residence, Petunia was trying to make the best out of the meager amount of food they had left in the fridge. Petunia sighed, reminding herself to go to the nearby church where they handed out food and clothing almost every day. Tonight they were forced to eat leftovers. She had cut the left over Pizza into small square pieces, gotten out some Pizza Sauce that was in the cupboards, waiting for the next time that she would make breadsticks. She had opened a can of corn, heated that up, and buttered some slices of bread. It would have to do for that night.

This time, Harry had behaved quite admirably, outdoing even Dudley in the manners department. Dudley had groaned about having sliced bread instead of the sweet rolls that Petunia usually bought for dinner.

All too soon, Harry and Dudley had taken their dishes to the sink and gone off to wash up for bed and Petunia was left alone with her thoughts. It wasn't until after she had read a bedtime story to Harry and tucked both boys in, that her thoughts were disturbed by a knock at the door. She peered through the peephole to see who was there, wary of someone that could possibly want to hurt her and the boys. She eventually realized that her late night visitors were none other than Remus Lupin and a man who she guessed to be Albus Dumbledore. She sighed, remembering how Remus had questioned her at the deli, and opened the door.

"Please, come in." she said, opening the door wide to let the two men through. "Where is Mr. Snape?" she asked curiously as she closed the door.

"He's at the motel room doing some reading." Remus replied as he and Dumbledore sat down.

"Oh, very well. I'm really sorry that I don't have any tea ready. I've only just put the dishes in to wash and I don't have any Tea left." Petunia replied, trying to explain in a way that might keep the men from becoming suspicious. As much as she and the boys could use the help, she didn't want to rely on anyone other than those she already did.

"That's perfectly fine, Miss… Evans?" Dumbledore replied, gently smiling at the woman.

"Now, what brings you two here so late? I was just about to turn in for the night." Petunia asked, wondering if her suspicions were correct.

"Petunia, please be honest with us. What exactly was it that was bothering you earlier today?" Remus asked, gazing directly into her eyes. Petunia deeply sighed, knowing that she couldn't get out of explaining what was going on.

"Okay, I suppose I can tell you. I just lost my job today and I don't know what I'm going to do for the next month or so, let alone Christmas. I don't want the boys to know, they're already under enough stress at school. Harry's so far behind in his IEP goals that I don't think he'll get too far with them this year. Dudley has to work on his reading comprehension and times tables… I don't know how things are going to work out." She explained tears of panic welling up in her eyes. She forced herself not to let a single one fall. She would not show that much weakness.

"Miss Evans, why didn't you come straight to either Remus or Severus? Your main obstacle is easily fixed. I can arrange the trust fund that was meant to be used while Harry is at Hogwarts to be opened to help take care of expenses. Now as for your nephew's progress in school… at what grade level is he?" Dumbledore said, casting a reassuring glance at her.

"In reading, he's barely starting books that first graders normally read and he struggles a great deal with them. In math, Harry does a bit better, but he can barely keep his mind on it. His attention always wanders. He's still getting speech therapy a couple days a week." Petunia said patiently. Sleep was beginning to lash at her mind. She yawned slightly, blinking away her exhaustion.

"I understand, I'm sure you're very tired, Miss Evans. Perhaps we could speak another time? Perhaps tomorrow morning when you are refreshed?" Albus suggested, making preparations to stand up and leave as soon as the woman answered.

"Please, no. I may be tired but I've too much on my mind to do so. We might as well talk this over now rather than waiting till later." Petunia insisted, a fake smile finding it's way onto her face.

"Of course, dear woman, of course." He replied.

It was then that the creak of the hallway floor boards could be heard, and Harry, clad in bright red pajamas with trains printed on them, found his way into the living room, his face tear streaked and his hair looking like a rat's nest. It was apparent that the child must have awoken from a nightmare or perhaps, if the proper evidence could be found, a bed-wetting episode. Thankfully to the relief of both the boy and his aunt, it was only a nightmare that had awoken the boy. She had pulled him into her arms and whispered soothing things into the boy's ears, eventually calming him down enough to speak.

"A-aunt Pe-t-tunia, wha-what's w-wr-ong?" he asked, looking up at her with those wide, emerald green eyes that shone brightly with innocence and curiosity. She looked into the child's eyes and smiled lightly.

"Nothing, Harry, I'm just worried about all the school you've missed." She half lied. It wasn't as if that particular thing wasn't on her mind. It was, but it only occupied a small bit of thought. Despite his limitations, Harry was bright and could usually figure out what was bothering someone he cared about within a couple of days. He paid a lot of attention to people's faces, tones of voice, and of course, their behavior. It was a gift that had helped him learn when to run, and when to obey someone. Of course, the boy didn't always use that gift. There had been numerous times, much like the night before, when he seemed to forget about such things and would act out, seemingly just for the sake of acting out. Sometimes it was just because he was tired or sick, but then again, Harry was a quirky child.

Albus Dumbledore gazed at the Potter boy, a fond look crossing his ancient features. The child reminded him of a very young James Potter during a time that he had visited the Potter residence. Of course, the green eyes and caring personality were definitely a part of the boy's mother.

"Why, hello!" Dumbledore greeted the boy, his voice full of cheer. The boy tensed for a moment, not making a single sound, but then relaxed as he sensed the good intentions of the newcomer. Still, the child clung to his aunt.

"Harry, this is Mr. Dumbledore. He's going to try to help use figure out some way to help you some more in school." Petunia explained to her nephew who seemed intent on staying in her lap. She put a hand through his dark, tangled hair and hugged him tightly. The child yawned and laid his head on his Aunt's shoulders before sleep finally stole his young mind from the world of consciousness.

Petunia then got up and carried the boy to his room, tucked him in and came back into the living room, an apologetic smile on her face. She sat back down, the lines of worry etched in her forehead even more noticeable than before.

"I suppose it is getting quite late. Perhaps we can talk some more tomorrow afternoon?" Petunia finally said, her exhaustion evident in her voice.

"Yes, splendid idea , child. Well, Mr. Lupin, I believe we had best be off." Dumbledore replied as he stood up, offering a hand up to his friend.

"Yes, I agree. Petunia, take care and don't worry. Things will look up. I promise." Remus looked deep into her eyes, catching a hint of thankfulness for the kind words.

Soon they were walking back to the Motel, both contemplating the nights revelations

"Well, I believe that we have a long road ahead of us. I shall owl Poppy in the morning and ask her if she can give the boy a look over. I'm sure she knows a thing or two about cases of wizarding children with special needs similar to the boy's." Dumbledore muttered, only loud enough for Remus to pick up the words.

"And I hope that Severus has found something in that book of his." Remus whispered back to the old man. Both walked in silence for a long time until they got to the Motel where Snape was still awake, but rather deeply immersed in his text. Dumbledore transfigured the dresser that was in the room into a single bed with a warm feather filled comforter and goose down pillows. Remus fell asleep in his own bed and Dumbledore in the newly transfigured one.


	6. Chapter 6: Let It Snow

A/N: Sorry about the underlining in the last chapter, people, I have no idea how that happened. Anyway I am thankful for all who review. I may be taking a break from writing during Christmas because I am possibly going to be visiting family and might not be able to use a computer often enough to write…

Oh yeah, and be sure to read this chapter very carefully. There's a part in there that might surprise you.

Anyway, here's Chapter 6…

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter… If I did, I wouldn't be feeling ill right now and I'd have a nice big soda to drink…

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter. I do own a few of the original characters in this story such as Harry's teachers at the muggle school he currently goes to, Carla, the lady who usually watches Harry and Dudley when Petunia was working or just out for a day.

Butterfly

Chapter Six: Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow…

Morning came all too soon for Albus Dumbledore was abruptly awoken by none other than Severus Snape. The older man got up and looked curiously at Snape who had awoken him with his loud swearing.

"Severus, m'boy. What is it that has you using such foul language?" Dumbledore asked, his blue eyes sparkling with concern. He quickly glanced at Remus who was surprisingly still asleep.

"You've seen Harry, right?" Severus said, a knowing look crossing his sour face.

"Yes, but only briefly when the child awoke from a nightmare. I only heard him ask his aunt what was wrong when we were there, why?" He replied, wondering what the Slytherin was trying to get at.

"Well, I know you've seen the ward at St Mungos for the mental patients because I went with you when you went to visit Frank and Alice Longbottom last Christmas. There's not much that magic can do for them or Harry. I've read this book, every single letter of every word on each and every page. There is nothing in this book that states how to help the child, other than what the muggles already provide to the boy. How are we supposed to help him?"

"Severus, calm down. I'm sure we can find a way to teach the child what he needs to know. It's not as if he's impossible to teach. We shall just be patient with the boy while we all take the time to work with him." Dumbledore replied, a warm twinkle in his eyes.

"Albus, you haven't seen the way the boy gets so terrified of men he doesn't know. The first time we met him, it took ages for his aunt to coax him into calming down and properly greeting us. I don't even tolerate the usual behavior of the students in my classes and I know you're going to end up telling me that I'm going to have to help teach the boy." Severus glared darkly at the man before him.

"Severus, I know. We'll work it all out somehow. Now why don't you get some rest." The older man laid a reassuring hand on the younger one's shoulders and lightly squeezed it before turning back to his bed and lying back down.

Eventually the two were both asleep and Remus Lupin lay on his side, staring at the yellowish brown stained walls. He hadn't slept at all and he still couldn't, not having just heard the worst thing he could imagine about helping Harry. Then again, he too had seen the goings on at St Mungos and knew many of the patients there. But of course, it had never hit him before now. Snape's words ran rampant through his mind as he desperately tried to think of something that magic could do for the child who bore such close resemblance to his dearly departed school mate, James Potter and of course his departed wife, Lily.

He sighed, his body begging to get up and just move around. Slowly, but surely, he made his way out the door and down the dark street. Despite the now freezing cold weather and the tale-tale signs of snow getting ready to fall, Remus leisurely walked down a moderately dark street, his eyes adjusting to the darkness. Over and over the thought of what would happen if Harry didn't get a proper wizarding education nagged at his mind.

Eventually he found himself in front of a small café that had just opened up as dawn started to approach the northwestern United States and bought a small coffee and pastry and sat down contemplating everything that had happened since that fateful day that it was discovered that Voldemort was after the Potters. Outside snow started to fall upon the streets and sidewalk, getting heavier with each moment that passed. It was rather beautiful, the way the snow fell upon the world. Of course, he knew one person who dreaded snow, and that man was currently walking down the street with Albus Dumbledore, a cross look seemingly glued to his face.

"Remus, I thought we'd find you here." Albus said upon his entrance into the café. Snape however glared at him.

"Yes, you just had to go out into the bloody snow, didn't you, Lupin?" Snape sneered, his tone cold as ice.

"Well I dare say it's hard to sleep properly when your snores sound like a boarhound being tortured!" He countered, taking one last sip of his coffee and standing up. He gently laid a few silver American muggle coins onto the table before putting on his jacket.

It was quite early and through the thick clouds, only a small bit of light made it to the ground as the snow fell swiftly upon them. Luckily all three men wore warm winter clothes as they slowly made their way through the thick snow.

"So, what do you suppose we should do now?" Snape asked as they walked.

"Well, I'd like to get Harry, his aunt, and his cousin some gifts for Christmas. After all, we're going to have to get Harry used to us. And Albus, did you, by any chance, send off that owl to Poppy yet?" Remus questioned, turning to the old man.

"Actually, yes I did, just after we realized you had left." Albus replied. "Now, why don't we go do some Christmas shopping?"

The trio soon found themselves in a muggle toy store where toys seemed to be up to the ceiling on their shelves. All the toys made both Remus and Albus feel like mere children again while Severus only scowled, remembering the Christmases he used to spend with his family, considering himself lucky if at least one family member remembered his premature love of potions.

Remus quickly dragged them to the area of the store where arts and crafts were king. Art sets of all kinds lined the shelves. Crayons, markers, colored pencils, clay, paper, and all sorts of other great art supplies could be found.

"Oh yes, Lupin, buy the child crayons and markers that will be quickly broken and lost. Buy him things that he's going to make a mess with! Perhaps something a little less messy would be in order. Like books, perhaps? The child's aunt said that he was having trouble with reading! Perhaps you could buy him something to help with that?" Snape cried out, desperate to get out of the muggle store.

"I know, Severus. Don't think I'm not going to keep that in mind. I'm not just planning on getting Harry art supplies." He grabbed a cart that was left empty nearby and put several different art things in it including new crayons, pads of drawing paper, watercolor paint and paper and much more. Albus had strayed off to the sports area of the store and came back with two shiny new bikes, helmets, and a brand new soccer ball.

"Bloody hell, the two of you are going to spoil those children rotten! Follow me!" Snape grabbed the cart and pulled it along till he came across an area where books of all kinds lined the shelves. Some were for small children, others for older children. There were sets of books that helped with learning how to read and write. Others helped to learn mathematics. He piled things into the cart whilst Remus and Albus almost silently wandered off to other parts of the store returning with baskets full of toys for both Harry and Dudley, only to be greeted by a dark scowl and tapping foot of Severus Snape.

Dumbledore, having a keen ear for music, had grabbed a keyboard and a drum set while Lupin had taken into account the way most boys liked to play with building sets and had grabbed some Lego sets as well. As soon as they had paid for all that they had picked out, they found a secluded place near the store, shrunk all their purchases to fit in their pockets, and set out to buy the boys some winter clothes and to find some gifts for Petunia.

Meanwhile, at the Evans residence, Petunia had just gotten home from the grocery store with the boys and was making hot cocoa while Harry watched Sesame Street and Dudley was busy trying to find some snow boots that he and Harry could wear outside.

She had just bought them new winter hats a few weeks before but snow boots had totally slipped her mind as she had been so preoccupied with everything. She had yet to get out the old fake Christmas tree and decorate it with her various ornaments as well. Sighing deeply, she brought a tray of Christmas cookies, hot cocoa, and marshmallows into the living room where Dudley was currently trying to fit last year's snow boots onto his feet and Harry was busy singing the ABC's with Elmo and Big Bird. Suddenly, like magic, Dudley was able to fit his feet into his boots with ease.

"See Mum, I told you they weren't too small! Look, I can even wiggle my toes!" Dudley exclaimed as he held out a boot-clad foot.

"No fair! I wa-want to go p-play in the sn-snow too!" Harry cried out.

"Harry, calm down. I think I might have a pair of boots that will fit you in my closet." Petunia said, gently guiding the boy to her room. He sat down on the end of her bed as she opened the closet and looked through the various boxes she kept in it. Finally she spotted the box which she was looking for. Inside was a pair of brown snow boots that had been given to them through a charity but neither boy had been able to fit into them the year before because they were too small on Dudley and too big on Harry. This year she held a glimmer of hope in her heart as she silently prayed that they would fit the child.

"I reme-memb-member those! They a-are too b-big!" Harry cried out, staring at his aunt in disbelief.

"They may have been too big last year, but your feet have gotten bigger, Sweetie. I think they should fit you now." She said, taking them out of the box and slipping them onto Harry's feet. They fit snugly on the child. "Well, Harry, are they too tight?"

"No, the-they're perf-ect." Harry got up and walked around a bit before jumping up and down in excitement. "N-now can we go-go outside?" he said, looking up at Petunia, a fire of hope burning in his emerald eyes.

"Not yet, first we have to get your sweater, jacket, and your hat back on. Then we have to find your gloves." She fondly ran a hand through the boy's already messy hair, making it even messier than it had been moments before. "Come, lets find those gloves of yours. We don't want you to end up turning your hands into icicles." She took his hand and the two went into Harry's room. It was messy, but just barely so, like a young child's room ought to be.

Petunia took charge of looking through the child's drawers for some gloves while Harry looked through his closet.

"I f-found them!" Harry called out. Petunia ran to his side and looked forlornly at the grey gloves. They looked too small for Harry's hands.

"Harry, I don't think those will fit." Petunia warned as she watched the boy attempt to put them on. He pulled and tugged at the first glove, trying hard to make his fingers fit into the small tips. He soon became frustrated with the blasted things and in his blind fit of anger; the gloves seemed to magically enlarge and turned a brilliant shade of dark green.

Petunia forced herself to act as if everything was normal. This was the second magical thing to happen that same day and she was, to say the least, confused.

"Okay Harry, lets go get the rest of your things on and you and Dudley will be able to play in the snow."

Soon both boys were outside having a rather fun filled snowball fight and it was unclear which boy was winning. Petunia watched from her window as the two played, laughing as if everything in the world was right. She knew differently and desired nothing more than to have the pure innocence of her two boys last forever. That was one reason she feared bringing her nephew into his parent's world. She knew of why her sister and brother in law had been killed. She knew why it was so important for Harry to go back into the world in which he had been born, and yet it made her want to hold onto him all the much more.

She sipped at her hot cocoa and nibbled at a cookie. Finally she found the nerve to bundle up herself and join in on the fun that Dudley and Harry were so intoxicated by. Granted, she wasn't nearly as well dressed for the snow as the two boys were, but that didn't matter, she wanted to remember what it was like to be a child again, playing in the snow, getting pelted with snowballs, making snowmen and snowwomen as big as possible, and comparing everyone's snow angels.

Back at the motel room which the three visiting wizards stayed, Lupin and Snape were busy wrapping gifts. Snape insisted that only a few of the things they picked out be given to the boys for Christmas and so only the keyboard, drum set, 3 books for each boy, 2 Lego sets, some art supplies, and some clothes were wrapped up. Everything else, Snape mused, could be presented to the boys at a later date. All of Petunia's gifts were wrapped up as well.

Dumbledore, however, had taken on the task of conjuring a magical fireplace in the room that only wizards, witches, and those who knew of the magical community could see and use. He then flooed his way to his office at Hogwarts.

At Hogwarts, Dumbledore immediately made Minerva aware of his presence and then swiftly walked down to the Hospital Wing where Poppy Pomfrey, the school's own private Mediwitch held reign. Surprisingly, for that particular time of year, the hospital wing was devoid of ill or injured students and Poppy was humming the tune of 'Something Wicked This Way Comes' while flipping through a recent copy of Witch Weekly.

"Ahem… Poppy, I do believe you got my express owl?" Dumbledore asked, first clearing his throat as to make his presence known. Madam Pomfrey jumped up, startled at the interruption.

"Albus, of course, I was just waiting for you to floo over. Now where in the world are we going to?" Poppy asked. "You know I can't be gone too long."

"To the United States, Poppy. There's someone there that I daresay you ought to take a good look at."

"If you insist. Just let me get my med bag and we shall be off…"

Soon enough, Poppy Pomfrey tumbled through the magically conjured fireplace, soon followed by Albus Dumbledore.

"Well, where is this person that you want me to take a look at, Albus?" She quickly surveyed the room and turned to the headmaster.

"Living nearby. Now, Remus, Severus, would either of you like to come with us?"

"I don't think so, Albus, that coffee I had this morning didn't quite agree with me…" Remus replied, a small smile crossing his face.

"Professor Dumbledore, I think perhaps it should just be you and Poppy who visit Potter." Snape suggested, looking up from his new copy of Potions Monthly.

Once they were outside and Dumbledore had conjured warm clothes for Poppy to wear, Poppy had a multitude of questions that needed answers.

"Albus, who exactly am I going to be giving a look-over?" she asked, frowning.

"Well, as much as I would love to surprise you, it is young Harry Potter that you will be meeting today." Albus replied, smiling joyously.

"You've got to be bloody kidding me! Albus, are you serious?" Poppy cried, shocked that she'd once again be giving young Harry Potter a check up before he was scheduled to attend Hogwarts as she had years before when the boy had only been a year old.

"I'm very serious, Poppy. Look, I think that is him over there playing in the snow." Dumbledore pointed over to where Harry and Dudley were busily making snowballs and throwing them at each other and Petunia Evans.

"Well, he seems healthy looking to me, if he is playing out in the snow like any normal ten year old would on a day like this!" she replied.

"Come, I still want you to give him at least a regular check up…" They walked over to where the two boys were playing and Petunia had to tell them to stop in fear of either visitor being pelted with a rogue snowball.

"Boys, it's almost time for supper, why don't you go wash up and get into some dry clothes." Petunia suggested to the boys. She looked at Dumbledore and Pomfrey gently. "Well I guess I must thank you for cutting our little snowball fight short. I was getting beaten by those two!"

"I suppose boys will be boys. Ms. Evans, I'd like you to meet Madam Pomfrey. She's the nurse at Hogwarts." Dumbledore explained as the two women greeted each other with a gentle handshake.

"Please, why don't the two of you come up to the apartment? I must get busy making dinner. I promised Harry and Dudley that I'd make Mac and Cheese tonight." Petunia said, leading the witch and wizard up to the apartment where Harry was struggling to get his jacket unzipped where it had snagged on his sweater and Dudley was trying to help.

"No, no, no!" Harry screamed in frustration. Dudley jumped back as a ring of fire surrounded Harry. It didn't seem to burn anything.

"Harry!" Petunia cried, afraid to get near the child, not knowing what to do.

"I w-want you to un-undo it!" Harry screamed. Finally Petunia worked up the courage to reach through the fire to get to her nephew and miraculously she did so without getting burned anywhere.. She undid the zipper with some difficulty and smoothed her nephew's hair as she whispered to the boy. As soon as the zipper was undone the fire fell away into nothingness…

A/N: And this is where I shall leave you to review… Please, make your review count! I'm sorry getting this chapter up took so long. I was going to make it longer but I couldn't force myself to write anymore and thought that this was a good cutoff point… Anyway the more proper reviews I get, the sooner I'll belt out chapter seven!


	7. Chapter 7: Checkups

A/N: Sorry about the cliffy there… I just had to do it… I put in a little clue as to an upcoming plot point and was disappointed to see that only one reviewer noticed it… I think most everyone else needs to go back and read chapter 5 again very closely, particularly the part in which Harry and Dudley get ready to go out and play in the snow.

You can thank Emma Barrows for helping me get through this chapter. See I had a VERY bad case of writers block. (to the point where I was stuck at one small point and couldn't get past it no matter how many sodas I drank or how much popcorn I stuffed my face with…) Anyway another explanation is needed. Yes, Harry's magic is quite strong despite the wiring of Harry's mind.

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter, if I did, I'd buy my sister and nephew new computers and hire a team of computer technicians to keep the computers running correctly without any problems like the problems my sis and nephew are having right now… Heck… if I owned Harry Potter, I'd have the best computer money could buy and the best laptop money could buy just so that I could write this fic no matter where I go should I be so inspired. Then I'd get chapters done much faster… That and I'd be able to play The Sims 2 and Sim City 4 any time I got the urge to!

_**Dum spiro, spero**_

Butterfly

Chapter 7: Checkups

"Harry, sweetie, please don't ever scare Auntie Petunia like that ever again, okay?" Petunia's soft words were whispered in the boy's ear as she lovingly stroked his face with her thumb and kissed Harry lightly on the forehead.

"I-I'm sorry." Harry apologized once he had calmed down enough. Still the sound of unshed tears lingered in his voice.

"It's okay sweetie. Now why don't you play with Dudley or perhaps talk with Mr. Dumbledore and his friend?" she suggested, her eyes darting towards their visitors.

Dumbledore and Poppy both sat on the sofa, carefully watching the boy. There was no doubt in either of their minds that the Harry Potter in front of them had the potential to be an amazing wizard.

Harry looked up at the witch and wizard, his eyes still showing evidence of his earlier fit.

"Hello, Harry. I'd like to introduce you to my friend, Madam Pomfrey." Harry gazed at her warily for a few seconds. Obviously, she must have given the child a good impression for he slowly got up and sat between the witch and wizard.

Dumbledore sensed Harry was a bit wary so he turned to him with a cheery tone:

"Would you like something to drink? At this Harry nodded and Dumbledore conjured a smoking silver goblet. "Here's some Cream soda. I hope that your aunt won't mind you having sweets so late in the evening." Dumbledore smiled at the shocked expression that crossed the young boy's face.

"Woah…" Harry said, gazing at Dumbledore and then back at the goblet, his eyes wide in amazement. "That was c-cool! H-how di-did you do t-that?" he asked

"With magic, Harry." Dumbledore replied, his eyes smiling. "I'll teach you how to do that when you're older, okay? Now, why don't you drink your soda there?" Harry looked down as if he had done something wrong.

"I-I'm not su-susposed to t-take things from stra-strangers." The boy said, his emerald orbs looking up at the old man.

"It's okay, I assure you that it's only Cream Soda." Dumbledore replied.

"A-aunt Pet-Petunia said… I h-have to ask h-her…" Harry slowly got up to walk into the kitchen where his Aunt was busily cooking dinner for her family and their two guests. He remembered the last time he had interrupted her while she cooked but he needed her permission to take the soda from Mr. Dumbledore. He took a deep breath before marching into the kitchen just as his Aunt was straining the noodles for the Macaroni & Cheese.

"Aunt Pet-Petunia…" Harry mumbled. His aunt jumped, almost getting the hot water from the noodles all over herself and her nephew.

"Harry! What are you doing in the kitchen? I've told you and Dudley to stay out of here when I'm cooking a million times!" she snapped. Harry backed up against the wall, startled at his Aunt's tone.

"I-I…" Harry's green eyes seemed to glaze over as he was pulled far the present and dragged into a memory of the past.

_"I've told you a million times not to break a single one of my sweet Petunia's dishes, and look what you've done!" the loud voice of Vernon Dursley boomed. A small boy of only four, perhaps five years looked up at the man, tears welling up in his eyes. "Don't try to tell me you don't know how to carry a dish to the table without breaking it!" The man yelled even louder, grasping the boy by the back of his t-shirt and forcibly pushing the boy to the wall. "What do you have to say for yourself, boy?" He yelled, his face red with anger. The child trembled with fear, clutching an arm that was slightly burned from the hot soup that had been in the dish. "Well!" The man yelled again. Harry looked directly into the man's eyes, tears freely running down his face._

_"I-I s-sa-w-wee" He answered as best he could despite his stuttering. A small part of him had tried to make his answer come out right but it was drowned out by the sheer terror that ran through him as he remembered his punishments for all the other times when he didn't do something the right way._

_"If you're going to apologize, say it right!" his Uncle Vernon boomed, smacking the boy's cheek hard. Harry just sunk down to the floor, crying even harder at the added physical pain he felt along with the slight sting of his burn. "Stop your crying and clean up this mess, you useless child!" _

_This only made Harry cry even more as his uncle threw down a cloth with which to clean up the spilt soup that covered the white linoleum floor. _

_"I mean it! Stop that useless noise and clean the mess you made up, now!" Harry crawled over to the mess and fumbled with the cloth, trying to avoid the ceramic pieces of the shattered dish. Of course, it was an effort that didn't pay. His fingers were cut badly by the time he was half done getting the soup cleaned up. He got up, intending to clean his fingers and get bandages for them but his Uncle wouldn't allow it._

_"That's it, I'm sick and tired of your uselessness! You're going in the cupboard!" He yelled at the boy, smacking him hard and grabbing the child's burnt arm, dragging him to a cupboard under the stairs to the first floor of the house. It was the place where Harry was usually put when his Aunt and Cousin wasn't home and it was dark and full of creepy, crawlies that would crawl all over one if they were so unfortunate to be shut inside. _

_Harry howled in the pain that came from the contact with his arm, praying that his aunt would come home soon. She was the nice one, the one that didn't yell at him for every single thing he didn't do as well as his cousin. He sobbed for what seemed ages, eventually falling asleep, tears slipping down his face as his eyes shut._

"Harry…"

_"Harry, it's time to get up. Come on. We have to hurry." Came the panicked voice of his aunt some time later. The first thing that the small boy noticed was that the house was dark, and once he was led into the living room, he saw that it was dark outside as well. His aunt never woke him up at night time, and it was far too late for the family's usual suppertime. Dudley was sitting on the couch, looking terrified as he clutched his stuffed bear in his slightly pudgy hands. Harry looked down at his hands, remembering before when they had been cut and saw that someone must have cleaned them and bandaged them for him._

_"Harry, sit down with Dudders, okay?" came the whisper of his Aunt Petunia. Silently Harry nodded and made his way to the couch and sat by his blonde haired cousin._

_"H-harry, I'm scared. Mummy and Dad were fighting. I think Mummy is taking us away from Dad." Dudley whispered to his cousin, tears falling down his pinkish face. Harry could only remain silent, not quite understanding what was going on through the sleepy haze his mind was in. After ten minutes, his Aunt came back into the living room, a heavy duffle bag filled to the point of no return. _

_"Dudley, Harry, c'mon, lets go. We're going to be taking a long walk and it's best if we start while it's still dark out." Petunia took the small hands of the two boys, and was out the door and down the street just before a raging Vernon Dursley came bounding down the stairs yelling for his Petunia to come back, that he was sorry._

"Harry… Harry, look at me. I'm sorry for yelling. It's okay now." Petunia took her nephew in her arms, clearly realizing that he had just been stuck in an old, rather bad memory, most likely of her ex-husband. The tiny boy's body shook as he sobbed.

"I-I sa-sawree." Harry's voice came, the childish pronunciations finding their way through his terror.

"No, Harry. It's my fault. I shouldn't have yelled. You didn't deserve to be yelled at." Petunia cooed, hugging the boy tight, the noodles she had been draining forgotten in the strainer lying in the sink.

It took several minutes for the boy to come back to the present rushing back at him in full force.

"Harry…" She said, once the child had calmed down enough to breathe properly. "What was it you wanted earlier, sweetie?"

Harry got a blank look on his face for several seconds before answering.

"M-mister Dum-Dumble-d-door wa-wants to-to give m-me s-some-the-thing." Harry replied slowly, still shaking slightly.

"Well, lets go talk to Mister Dumbledore and see if it's okay." She led the teary-eyed child into the living room where Dumbledore and Poppy were chatting amongst themselves, both with worried faces.

"Ah, there you are Harry." Dumbledore said cheerfully as he noticed the boy and his aunt come into the living room. A slightly alarmed look crossed the old Wizard's face as he eyed the tale-tale signs of fresh tears in the boy's eyes. "Miss Evans, I hope it's no trouble to you, but could we speak in private, with, of course, the exception being Madam Pomfrey?"

"Of course, please, why don't you follow me into the kitchen? I've got to get that macaroni and cheese done before the noodles get too cold. Dudley, why don't you and Harry go wash up for dinner? It will be done shortly, and please, make sure you boys get your fingernails clean as well." Petunia said, eyeing the dirt that was obviously under the boys' nails. The two of them always seemed to get dirt under their nails no matter what.

"Yes, Mum. Harry, c'mon, dinner's almost ready!" Dudley said. Enthusiastically, Harry followed after his cousin.

All too soon, Poppy Pomfrey and Albus Dumbledore were in the kitchen conversing with Petunia.

"It really is important that we have a chance to give Harry a look over. You'd be amazing at the multitude of illnesses known to Wizarding society that can impair the various types of development in a child." Poppy insisted as she watched Petunia put the finishing touches on the Mac & Cheese, stirring in chopped hot dogs and draining the water from the mixed vegetables she had prepared as well.

"I suppose it would be okay, but I should warn you, Harry doesn't like needles or foul tasting things. It was a miracle I ever got him eating Cauliflower, let alone taking medicine, especially when he came down with Pneumonia when he was eight." Petunia replied. "We should eat dinner first. Then I can talk to Harry and convince him that it's okay."

"Of course." Dumbledore cut in. "I'm sure Harry will be in a much better mood once he has filled his stomach with good food."

It wasn't long at all that the five were to be found eating at the table, conversing about their day. Dumbledore found himself recounting a modified version of his day out shopping with Remus and Severus and Harry quickly warmed up to the man, and started to stumble through a tale of how he and Dudley had beat Petunia in their snowball fight earlier that day.

"Now Harry, I hardly think that two against one is fair. After all, you and Dudley are young and have a lot of energy for pelting snowballs at people."

"But Aunt P-petunia wan-wanted to play with uh-us." Harry said through his last mouthful of Mac & Cheese.

"Now, Albus…" said Poppy. "I believe it was you that said that what matters is doing the right thing, even it if isn't always fair."

"I did say that didn't I, Poppy? I must thank you for reminding me of that." Dumbledore smiled.

"Oh, Harry, do you want more?" Petunia asked, noticing Harry's empty plate. "Or perhaps you're anxious to find out what I planned for dessert?" At that second, Harry's face lit up, a wide smile crossing his face. "Okay, fine, we're going to have some sliced fruit for dessert." Petunia said getting up and opening the fridge to reveal five bowls with sliced fruits and pieces of seedless watermelon and cantaloupe.

The five of them sat eating the fruits, Harry getting the juice from them all over his face and clothes. Soon enough they were all done and Harry was an absolute mess. Dudley started clearing the table without being asked while Petunia went with Harry to clean him up and change him into some nightclothes.

Meanwhile, Dumbledore and Poppy were busy discussing the more intricate details of what had happened at the toy store earlier that day.

"Really, don't you think you three went overboard?" Poppy asked as she envisioned the many things that the three Wizards had purchased.

"Not really. After all, only a few of the things are going to be given to them on Christmas. The others are going to saved for later on." Dumbledore explained just before Petunia walked in with Harry who was clad in deep read thermal pajamas and grey sox on his feet. It was then that the Witch and Wizard realized that it was chilly inside the apartment.

"Harry, sweetie. Madam Pomfrey wants to give you a checkup. Are you going to be a good boy and let her?" Petunia asked, looking directly into her Nephew's eyes, swallowing as she remembered her sister. To her relief, Harry nodded and sat down on the couch, blinking away his sleepiness.

"Well, it's nice to finally meet see you again after all these years, Harry." Poppy said as she took a muggle stethoscope from her bag. She remembered the day Harry had been brought into the world, how his cry had been so strong. She recalled the day when Voldemort had attacked the Potters and Hagrid had brought the orphaned child to her for a small check up before taking him off to be placed with his relatives. Her eyes lingered on his scar and sighed. She listened to his heartbeat, and sighed, there was nothing wrong with it that she could hear. She took his pulse and found it a bit faster than normal. 'But of course… He must be nervous.' She reasoned before checking the child's ears for infection. To her relief she found nothing wrong as far as the child's physical health except perhaps a few bumps and bruises that were typical of any child. "Well, I suppose I ought to give you a clean bill of health, Mister Potter, although I might add that it would be wise to be a little more careful when you're out playing." Poppy said, finally putting away the Muggle equipment.

She smoothed out the child's hair, taking note of how he tensed a bit. She would talk to Dumbledore about that later.

"Petunia, you've done a fine job of caring for this one here. I hope to see him in Hogwarts when the time comes." She smiled at the younger woman. "And Harry, I hope you stay in good health."

"I suppose we ought to go. Poppy has a hospital wing at the school to attend to." Dumbledore said, standing up.

"Well, I must thank you for coming. Will we be seeing you again?" Petunia asked, suddenly worried.

"Of course. Goodbye, Harry, Miss Evans, and even you, Dudley. We shall meet again." Dumbledore said as he and Poppy exited the apartment.

Once outside Poppy began prodding Dumbledore for answers.

"Well, Harry seems to be in good health, but his behavior towards others tells a different story. I just don't understand it. He acts as if he's been abused, but there are no physical marks to show for it.

"I think we can safely assume that Harry's behavior has something to do with why Petunia relocated to this town." Dumbledore mused. "I shall have to inquire about that at a later date. Now lets get you back to Hogwarts."

A/N: Okay I'm sorry this took so long and that it's a little shorter than usual, but my tendonitis has been acting up and if I made this any longer then it would be put up late. Oh and guess what, I get to celebrate about this being the first time for me to put up a seventh chapter of anything. Don't worry I'll keep it going. I promise at least one chapter a week unless I state otherwise in a chapter or on my profile…

Oh and for those who have this story on alert, but haven't been reviewing, please start reviewing. The more reviews, the better I'll be able to ignore the pain in my hands and get upcoming chapters written…

_**Quod incepimus conficiemus**_


	8. Chapter 8: Canine Company

A/N: Okay, I'm sorry for having this posted so late. I've been sick and am still trying to get over a cold right now and it's not helping things much. Remember, reviews help a lot, especially if they include an opinion or idea that might be able to be used… I'm constantly suffering from writers block and usually have to go to friends and family to get through it. But no worries, I usually just have trouble in parts I haven't worked out the details of… and there are parts that I already have all planned out… and those parts will start soon enough… so on with the story… I'm sorry this is late. I was going to finish it up last night and post it but I ate Mickey D's for dinner and food from there makes me excessively tired... So here's Chapter 8, and I'm going to tell you ahead of time, future chapters may be 1 to 2 weeks apart as far as when I post them because the New Year is coming up and I have School and I have to start looking for work.

Butterfly

Chapter 8: Canine Company

As Dumbledore and Poppy walked back to the motel room, snow began to swiftly fall upon them, causing the old headmaster to look like an odd Snowman.

"Poppy, what about his mind? Is there anything we can do?" Dumbledore asked, his blue eyes seemingly brighter than usual.

"What he needs from us is patience, Albus. Luckily he isn't as bad off as many of the patients in St. Mungos. He can learn if those teaching him work with him and are patient."

"Of course. We were just hoping…" Dumbledore trailed off as they arrived at the motel room.

"Don't lose hope. He's still the boy who lived. You out of all people should understand that, Albus." Poppy said, giving the old man a warm hug before grabbing a handful of floo powder and throwing it into the fire before making her way back to Hogwarts.

The next day went as usual for Petunia and the two boys. Harry and Dudley went to school as usual and Petunia stayed home making phone calls and the like, knowing that all too soon they'd be making a trip back to the other side of the Atlantic. While it was still snowing outside, school had been opened again since the snowfall wasn't nearly as thick as it had been the day before.

Once school let out for the day, Dudley waited for Harry at the front of the school as he talked with his friends about what they all thought they'd get for Christmas. Harry finally came out, and joined his cousin.

"C'mon Harry. Let's get home; I wanna play in the snow before dinner." Dudley said, grabbing his backpack off the damp concrete.

They walked down the street, trying their best to get through the thick snow. Harry was several feet ahead of Dudley when his ears caught the faint whine that could only come from Puppies. He stopped, his emerald eyes searching for the source of the sound, and finally found a wooden crate in the snow by the curb with a small layer of snow on top. He opened the crate curiously, and found five black puppies curled up together save for one with blue eyes that peered up at Harry and yipped.

Dudley came up and knelt down to the crate and frowned, knowing it wouldn't be a good thing to show up at home with a crate full of puppies. His mom didn't like dogs much and always said no each and every time He and Harry had asked for a pet, let alone a dog.

"D-Dudley, c-can we take the-them ho-home?" Harry asked, his green eyes staring at his older cousin in the same way that the puppies were looking at them.

"Well… I guess we could… I mean, it doesn't look like anyone wants them. C'mon… I'm going to need your help carrying this crate." Dudley said, taking hold of one end of the crate while Harry took the other end. The puppies looked as if they were part Lab from what Dudley could tell. He'd read lots of books about dogs and had always wanted one. Secretly he prayed that his mom would allow them to keep at least one of the puppies.

It seemed as if ages had passed when they finally got to their apartment building. The Puppy crate was heavy and the way the puppies moved around whining and barking didn't help any. Slowly they got up the stairs, careful not to lose their balance. Both boys were sweating profusely by the time they made it to their apartment door and Dudley knocked on the door, too tired to take his gloves off.

Petunia opened the door and let out a relieved sigh. She had started to get worried about her boys, seeing as they rarely took that long to get home. It was when she noticed the crate and the whining puppies inside that she got a sense of dread in her heart.

"Mum… before you say anything… Harry found them at the curb all alone. We didn't see anyone else. They're just puppies, Mom. It was so cold outside they would have died. There wasn't a momma dog anywhere. Please don't make us put them back out!" Dudley begged as he and Harry were on their knees already hugging her legs, hope filled eyes staring at her, making her feel bad already. She sighed and pulled the boys off her giving them each a hug along with a stern look and opened the top of the crate and looked in at the puppies. The same one with blue eyes stood up, its front paws on the front of the crate as it peered at her.

"Dudley, Harry, keep your coats on. Here's a ten. I want you two to go get a bag of puppy food from the corner store. This doesn't mean that we're going to keep the puppies, but we might as well try to find good homes for them in the meantime." She said, automatically knowing she was in for it just as soon as Harry and Dudley exchanged an excited look.

As the two boys went off to the store, Petunia picked up the blue-eyed puppy and frowned as she realized that the puppies were probably going to become big dogs. There were so many reasons behind not allowing the boys to have pets. First and foremost was that Pets cost money, and then there was Harry whom she didn't quite feel was ready to have a pet. Of course there was also the fact that they lived in an apartment and didn't really have the time for a pet, but now she had second thoughts. A small part of her had always wondered if a pet might help in some way, shape, or form. She looked at each of the pups, checking for anything that might be bad. She figured they could probably use a bath and a nice warm place to sleep.

She put the pups back in the crate as to keep them from making a mess in the living room and went into her room and got a large box from her closet and some clean towels from the linen and a blanket from the linen closet and set it up just right for the puppies. Once the towels and blanket were settled just right, Petunia brought the crate of puppies into the kitchen and laid them in the box. It was much bigger and dryer than the crate and the pups had a good amount of space to play and they wouldn't be able to get out since the top of the box was so high.

It seemed as if ages had passed by the time Dudley and Harry got back with the puppy food. It wasn't a terribly large bag but big enough to last the pups a few days. Petunia got out a large plastic bowl and filled it with the puppy food and put it in one end of the box. Surprisingly all the pups went towards it and eagerly began eating it, seemingly having no trouble with the hard kibble.

"Okay boys, time for homework. Dudley, don't forget your reading." Petunia gave the puppies' one last glance before walking with Harry into his room and helping him with his homework. Harry had to read one story in his reading book, do the comprehension in his workbook, a page of math, and work on his spelling words for the week. Reading and the Comprehension work was the hardest so she made sure Harry always did that first, and then they would always work on spelling, and then the math page, which she only had to make sure Harry would stay on task with.

The rest of the afternoon went according to plan, save for the time the three spent playing with the little puppies. The one with blue eyes seemed particularly fond of Harry and wanted to be with him rather than anyone else which didn't strike Petunia as being odd. After all, some dogs were just better with children than others. There were times she'd even had long talks with Harry's teachers and therapist, whom he saw a couple of times a month, about how she should consider getting a pet dog or cat.

All too soon, dinner was served and the puppies were back in their box while Harry and Dudley tried to worm their way out of eating their serving of mixed vegetables. To their dismay, Petunia insisted they eat them if they wanted any dessert. It was late and Harry nearly fell asleep in his slice of Apple Pie. Luckily time allowed for both boys to have a bath and get a bedtime story before it was finally time to climb into bed and get their sleep.

Of course, sleep didn't come easy for one person in the house. Once she had slipped into bed and REM sleep had taken over her mind, unwanted nightmares of the past haunted her mind.

_Petunia held her son and nephew close to her as they sat waiting for someone to come and help arrange for their departure. Dudley was already asleep and Harry was tiredly looking curiously around at the people walking past. Thankfully, none had stopped and asked why they were there. They couldn't stay there much longer, knowing Vernon would track them down eventually._

_As the hours passed and Harry finally drifted off to an exhausted slumber, Petunia could only sit there, warily watching the various people, including bums who passed or sat nearby. Eventually a strange, dark man came up to them a sharp knife in his hand. She sat up with a start, in turn waking the boys as she punched the man with her bony hands, effectively knocking him out._

Back in present time, Petunia woke with a start, her legs all tangled up in her blanket and a cold sweat pouring off her forehead. Realizing where she was, she could only calm herself a small bit before roaming through the apartment to make sure all was well. She first checked on Dudley who was ever so lightly snoring, his face peaceful as ever. Harry was also sleeping quite peacefully, mumbling things in his slumber as his right arm dangled on the side of the bed, his teddy bear held in his tight clutch.

Petunia sighed in relieve, her fears forgotten as she tucked her nephew in and returned to her son's room to do the same. Afterwards she went to the bathroom and splashed warm water on her face in an attempt to get back into the mood for sleep. Luckily it worked and she was able to slip back into bed, this time she slept well until her alarm clock went off the next morning to get up and help the boys get ready for school.

It wasn't until after Harry and Dudley left for school that Dumbledore and Remus Lupin arrived, bearing news and wanting to discuss something.

"Alas, Petunia, how are you doing today? I assume things have gone well since we last met?" Albus asked, giving the woman a gentle hug

"As well as can be expected, of course." Petunia replied. "Would you gentlemen like something to drink, Tea, Water, Juice?" she offered, somehow knowing they'd probably be talking for quite a while.

"I think Tea would be the most appropriate, but why don't you let me take care of it?" Dumbledore replied, his blue eyes twinkling.

"I suppose that would be alright…" Petunia said, clearly flustered as pulled a rather beaten up armchair over to face the two men and sat down as she watched in awe as Dumbledore conjured a china tea set and poured tea for the woman and his companion before serving himself.

"Now we must discuss in more detail what we are going to do about young Harry's schooling. I daresay he is going to need extra tutoring. Of course, there is a problem with traveling. See, right now, we're using a floo connection… I do believe your sister explained travel by floo at least once?"

"Yes, she did…" Petunia replied, particularly anxious to hear what the man had to say.

"Well, I know it seems last minute, but we think it would be best if you and the boys could relocate to somewhere… closer to Hogwarts. After all, there are quite a few ways that a fully trained Witch or Wizard can easily get to a place on the same continent, but when it comes to somewhere overseas, it becomes very difficult. I'm certain that I could easily find a place for the three of you to live. What do you say?"

"I'm afraid the only way I can give my okay on the matter is if a place is secured for us. I'm not too keen on moving the boys away from here. They've got friends here, and I'm not sure that they will react well to the idea of moving back where… that sorry excuse for a man… could find us… He almost did once… He sent some bum after us with a blade!" Petunia said, taking sips in-between words.

"In light of that, we would take extra precautions. Harry is quite a special child to the Wizarding community. While there are some who would give their freedom to hurt the boy, there are many others who would give their lives for young Harry." Dumbledore said just as puppy whines could be heard in the Kitchen.

"A-are those… puppies that I hear?" Remus thought back to the good old days when he had first been informed that James, Sirius, and Peter had become animagi.

"Yes… Harry and Dudley brought them in from the streets yesterday… They must be hungry. Would you like to see them?" Petunia got up from the couch and made her way to put more food in their dish.

"That would be nice, Albus, would you care to join me?"

"Of course, Remus, my boy." They both followed Petunia into the kitchen and looked at the pups. The one with blue eyes caught Albus' attention and the old Wizard picked it up and smiled, a strong feeling that the puppy was different in some special way rushing over him. "Well, I think I know of someone who would just love to have a puppy. My brother Aberforth, has always wanted one around." He set the blue eyed puppy down and continued to look at each pup, trying to figure out which one would be perfect for his brother.

Remus had picked up a rather large pup and laughed, caught up in a memory when Sirius had gone around as a dog for an entire week trying to help Peter get a date.

_It had been a rather hot and humid summer and Sirius and Peter had been staying over at the Potter residence and Remus would floo over each morning, taking great care not to dirty up the Potter home too much. James was going around rather proudly, having finally won the heart of one Lily Evans and had been determined to help Peter impress the ladies. Sirius had come up with the idea that they could go around with him in his animagus form saying that Peter had saved him from certain death at the hands of his previous owner. The plan hadn't worked, in fact it wasn't until a week later that a girl came up to him, giggling and blushing like girls always seemed to do around the opposite gender asking if Peter would be so kind as to come to her birthday party and that James, Sirius, and Remus were welcome to come as well. Remus of course hadn't been able to come, because of his furry little problem, as James liked to describe it, but from what he had been told by James the next day, Lily had been there as well as many other girls so it hadn't been too horrid. Peter finally had a girlfriend to drag him off, keeping the Marauders apart and Sirius… well, Sirius had been totally humiliated and had about twenty different girls throw pumpkin juice in his face, not that it stopped him from finally successfully asking a girl out towards the end of the party._

Of course, those had been the good old days, when they could care less about the bad things in the world. It wasn't long after that when they finally graduated and had then lost James and Lily to Voldemort, Peter to Sirius, and Sirius had been carted off to Azkaban, a traitor in the last remaining marauder's eyes.

"Petunia… are you going to let Harry and Dudley have a puppy? I'm sure it could do great things for both of them. There's nothing like having a puppy around to bring out the best in children." Remus asked suddenly, an oddly sad look on his face.

"Actually, yes, I was thinking about that… I'm quite fond of the blue-eyed one..." Petunia picked said puppy up and lovingly stroked its soft black fur.

"Well, I'm afraid we must return back to our temporary living space. I am expecting an owl from the Wizarding bank and I know you probably have errands to run." Dumbledore said, looking quite ready to go back to the motel.

"Actually… I was wondering if one of you… perhaps you Mr. Lupin, if you have nothing else to do, could stay and chat for a while, and maybe come with me to pick up Harry and Dudley…" Petunia asked, clearly flustered.

"Why I'd love to and… well, there's really nothing else on my agenda for today. You don't mind, do you Albus?"

"Of course not, m'boy. Just come back before midnight... After all, I'm sure Severus will be angry if you are not there to help him with that potion he was working on."

"Of course, Headmaster."

And with that, Dumbledore left Remus and Petunia to talk.

A/N: I know this one kinda bit the dust… but I had a hard time writing it, both because of being sick, and because other things weren't looking to good. Anyway, Happy Holidays and please, I know more of you are reading than reviewing so please review.


	9. Chapter 9: Changes and a Teary Farewell

A/N: Okay so I guess I left this sitting for a little too long… Um at least half a year now? I know, I know, but see, whilst writing, I'm usually trying to find more information about various mental disorders/illnesses to help me write this, as well as bouncing ideas off friends about the whole thing. Anyway, I printed the past eight chapters out and it comes to exactly 47 pages including the Author's Notes and Disclaimers… Honestly if this were a project for school and wasn't about Harry Potter, I probably wouldn't have gotten as far as I have… See, I have this problem where if I'm not really interested in it, or I'm given a specific deadline, I'm unable to get myself to write until the very last minute…

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter... If I did, I'd be extremely busy writing the seventh book right now… Oh and if you do decide to sue me for whatever reason, the only things I own are my computer, CD player, printer, ceramic head I made in art class, a broken ceramic dragon I got for Christmas, an ashtray with a funny saying on it, a few t-shirts, some pants, a pair of brown and pink converse sneakers, a cd fixer/cleaner, some pencils (colored and mechanical), nail polish, sunglasses, Sims 2 games, a pack of Cigarettes that I only smoke when under intense stress, A pen with the Microsoft Logo on it, a laser pointer/flashlight thingy, and some diet pills that I don't even take… So really, it wouldn't be worth the trouble to sue me anyway because I've also got a hospital bill and doctors bill that totals to more than 1,300 bucks… and a debt to the local library because I haven't had the chance to take a book and two CD s back… So that's just about what you'll get if you ever attempt to sue me… Oh and did I mention that my CD player doesn't work?

Butterfly

Chapter 9: Changes and a Teary Farewell

Remus Lupin had gone with Petunia that same afternoon to get Harry and Dudley from school and was rather impressed with the kid friendly environment the school had. He even had the pleasure of meeting Harry's teacher and discussing a few things with her. He had discovered that Harry was an exceptionally bright child, only hindered by the limits of his own mind. Not that he had doubted it, after all, he himself had overcome a great many obstacles in order to learn at Hogwarts.

For the nest few days, he had diligently helped Petunia prepare for the day when she and the boys would relocate to a nice little place in Hogsmeade, since Dumbledore insisted that they be as near to Hogwarts as humanly possible without actually living on the grounds or in the dreaded Forbidden Forest. Of course, Hogsmeade was supposed to be a village for wizards and witches only, but he'd pulled some strings and Petunia was welcome to stay there with the boys, and even during the school year. By the end of the week, Petunia, Dudley, and Harry would be saying goodbye to their apartment, and to their friends, a day that Petunia knew wouldn't be the best for Harry or Dudley. After all, the two boys had nearly lived there all their lives, and grown rather close to some of the neighbors, especially Carla.

Throughout the week, both Harry and Dudley voiced their wishes of not having to move away. After all, both boys had friends here, and neither wanted to just leave and go to somewhere where they might not make friends as easily as they had. Even harder to deal with was Harry's blatant refusal to pack up his own things, but that was easily solved by Petunia letting them keep the blue eyed puppy.

Moving day was now only a day away and Harry found himself in particularly high spirits, having been able to get through one of the harder books on his assigned reading list with little to no trouble, and on top of that, had aced his spelling test, even having gotten the bonus word right. He could only imagine the proud look on his Aunt's face when he got home with the great big golden star on his test. It almost seemed like nothing could ruin the way he felt that day.

Of course, that all changed when Harry was running out to meet his cousin in front of the school, not quite paying proper attention to where he was going and slammed into an older, bigger boy than him. It was quite obvious that the boy was a sixth grader or perhaps a seventh grader, and a rather scary looking one at that. He wasn't at all like the nice sixth graders who would come into Harry's class as their reading buddies. The boy had dark blonde hair that looked messier than Harry's ever did and the smudge of chocolate near his mouth made his pale freckled face seem even more intimidating. He wore a dirty blue jacket, jeans with rather bad rips in the knees, and worn out red tennis shoes that looked as if they had been dug out of a dump. It was then that he could only guess what his intentions were.

The older boy's fists were already clenched but before they could reach any part of his body, Harry took off running at top speed, only to be chased by the older boy and have Dudley left behind, looking quite stunned for a moment before chasing after both of them, not caring to know what would happen if he didn't keep his cousin from getting beat up. It was quite an odd thing because Harry had gone off in the wrong direction.

Harry just kept running, and the older boy kept chasing him until finally Harry had to get rid of his backpack because it was so hard carrying it and running at such a pace. It took another couple of blocks with odd turns and even a shortcut through an alley that Harry finally slowed down to a stop and finally got pinned down by the bully.

"What, you think you can get away with that you little freak?" the older boy said before punching Harry in the nose. Harry forced himself to fight back and kicked out and punched in blind fury for what seemed ages. Harry wasn't even sure how many times he had gotten hit before he finally realized his nose was bleeding.

He dug into his coat pockets and thankfully found a small packet of tissues and cleaned his nose up as well as he could until there was only a stain of blood around his nose. He knew already he'd get into trouble for fighting but at that moment, that was the least of his worries.

Harry looked around franticly as snow began to once again fall upon the world, a feeling of intense dread in the pit of his stomach. The snow was getting thicker and thicker, it seemed to be getting colder by the second, his nose hurt badly and was possibly broken, and now that he wasn't busy running from the bully he realized that he was extremely lost and didn't even have his backpack or his spelling test. Boy was he in deep trouble.

Slowly, Harry forced himself to calm down. He had to be a big kid and work his way out of this or else he'd never get home. He had no clue how far from home he was until he found himself walking onto a main street where big snow plows were already going up and down the street trying to get as much snow out of the road as possible. He carefully looked both ways before crossing the street. It was already getting dark and he knew that he'd have to find an adult somewhere that could help him, even if it meant taking him to where the police were.

He inwardly shuddered, remembering someone once saying that when police found little kids that they'd take them to jail and put them in with robbers. Instead he decided he'd try to find his way home by himself, something that was much easier said than done. He wandered the area he had been in for what seemed ages and just as the street lamps started to turn on, Harry found his backpack buried in the snow, his perfect spelling test ruined as someone had obviously trampled it and it had ripped because it was wet from the snow.

His eyes watered, tears threatening to fall as he couldn't overcome the feeling of fear that it brought to him. Even though he had found his backpack, he was still as lost as ever. In an attempt to salvage his things, he got as much snow off of them and put them in his backpack, praying that they would be okay

Harry wandered around looking for someplace that looked familiar but it was all strange with the snow and he was getting quite hungry and was very tired. If anything, his only comfort was that he couldn't feel his nose so much in the bitter cold as he trudged through the snow, trying to find his way back.

When all seemed so terribly bleak, Harry finally caught sight of a car coming his way, and to his great surprise, he could just barely make out the police logo on the side. Remembering a movie where people would hail a taxi by waving their arms, Harry did the same and thankfully, the police car stopped and a tall African American officer stepped out and came to the boy.

"Hey, kiddo, shouldn't you be at home eating Dinner?" the officer asked, a warm smile on his face.

"Erm… I-I got l-lost…" Harry replied, shivering.

"Your name wouldn't be Harry, would it?" the officer asked, a hint of laughter in his voice. Harry seemed quite startled as he nodded in reply. "Well, Harry, my name is Officer Johnson."

"I-is my Aunt l-look-i-ing for m-me?" He asked, unable to hide the fear of how much trouble he would be in when he finally got home.

"Yes she is, Harry. She's been quite worried, but it looks like I'm going to have to drive you to the hospital to get your nose looked at. Don't worry kiddo, it'll be alright."

Harry could only stand there, fear keeping his feet from moving closer to the police car. Part of him screamed that the policeman was going to hurt him, like his uncle, but another part made him want to comply. He was emotionally torn in two.

"Look, it's okay. Your Aunt Petunia is quite worried about you. If she hadn't slipped and twisted her ankle she'd be out here with me looking for you." The officer said, kindly taking Harry's left hand as he knelt down to look him in the eyes.

"A-aunt Pet-tun-nia got hur-hurt?" Pure concern crossed his face in a flash.

"Yes she did, but it's not that bad. I'm sure she'll be more upset that you've hurt your nose, don't you?" Harry nodded and followed the officer into the patrol car and was allowed to sit in the front passenger seat rather than the back.

On the way to the hospital, another policeman was informed that Harry had been found and that Officer Johnson was taking him to the local Children's Hospital. It was once they were there that Harry was bombarded by his aunt and surprised to receive a rather big warm hug when he had been expecting to be reprimanded. She was crying and Harry couldn't quite understand why. Dudley was also there and was trying to read a children's magazine and ignore the waiting room television and the cartoons that were being played. It wasn't easy. Most of the children there were sick with the flu or something else and the younger ones cried. Not only did Harry not have any homework that he could do, what was showing on television was an old rerun of Bugs Bunny that he had seen countless times. It was getting quite warm so Harry shed his jacket and gloves revealing the evidence of his fight.

As soon as Petunia caught sight of a rather large bruise on his arm, she gasped.

"Harry, how did you get that bruise?" she asked suddenly, making her nephew jump in surprise.

"I…" Harry immediately stared down at his shoes.

"Harry, sweetheart, was it that boy that was chasing you? Dudley told me that much." Petunia asked. Harry could only nod sorrowfully. "Do you mind telling me what happened?" Petunia pulled Harry into a hug and listened as Harry began his story of the afternoon.

"I-I g-got out o-of sch-chool and… and M-miss Hart… sh-she gave me m-my spe-spell-ing test… I g-got th-the words a-all right…and-and I want-wanted to show yo-you s-so I ran-ran out-outside b-but then I bum-bumped in-into that-that boy and he-he scareded me… S-so I ra-ran a-away b-but he was-was still run-running too… a-and th-then I-I got ti-tired and l-lost m-my b-bag i-in the-the snow… and I-I ke-kept run-running b-but the b-big boy g-got me…" Harry sniffled, trying his best not to cry. "a-and then… Aunt Pe-Petunia… I-I got lo-losted an-and I wa-was g-gonna f-find hel-help b-but I was-was sca-scared of-of the po-police…"

"It's okay sweetie… but you know if you ever get lost again you should go to a police officer… Officer Johnson didn't hurt you. The police won't ever hurt you unless you do something really bad like steal or hurt someone else."

"Y-yes Au-aunt Pet-Petunia…" Harry hugged his aunt tightly. "I praw-promise…"

"Well at least you're here and for the most part, safe." Petunia said just as a nurse called Harry's name.

The whole ordeal seemed to last ages until Officer Johnson escorted a rather tired Petunia Evans and the two ten year olds home in his patrol car. Harry was already sound asleep and Petunia didn't bother to get him in his jammies when she tucked him into bed and went to do the same with her own son who had just been barely awake enough to walk up the stairs and into his room.

Sighing heavily, Petunia got out her tea bags and made a cup of tea before she sat down in the living room, where both Dudley and Harry's school things had been discarded on the floor. It was so much more empty than it had been not more than a month ago, seeing as most of the things the family owned had been packed away. From the kitchen came a few soft whines from the remaining puppy of the ones they had rescued from the cold not so long ago. She found her self wandering back into the kitchen for more tea but stopped and picked the Puppy up and held it securely. It was the same one with blue eyes. Although still unnamed, the pup was definitely part of the family now.

Two cups of tea later Petunia found herself looking through Harry's school things, the blue eyed puppy laying right next to her. She even taped the spelling test pieces together and set it out to dry, a proud smile on her face before she turned to the many boxes that lay about.

"Come here you…" she picked the pup up from it's place by her lap and gently stroked the fur on it's back and scratched behind it's ears. "Do you think I'm doing the right thing? Moving Harry and Dudley away from here?"

In response, the pup just looked up at her and gave out a small bark.

"It's just Harry has been doing so well this week… Especially today… although I can't say I'm happy he got into a fight… but still, going back… I can't even imagine what would happen. What if that wretched man that I made the mistake of marrying were to find us? I'd hate for that to happen… But those Wizards did promise… and they are so much nicer than I would have expected… After all, Harry seems to be okay with them and he's usually terrified of other men… Perhaps I am doing the right thing, after all… " Petunia said finally as she held the pup and a sense of calm washed over her. She needed all the sleep she could get before dawn.

Moving Day finally came and Petunia found herself woken by a squirming puppy and the sounds of Harry and Dudley bickering over what they wanted for Breakfast.

"B-but I wan-wanted toast!" Harry shouted.

"But Harry, we already packed away the Toaster, we can't have toast. Besides, I want cereal and that's what we have!" Dudley cried back, exasperation in his voice. :

"Boys… what is going on?" Petunia asked, shaking the cobwebs from her mind as she sleepily walked into the kitchen.

"Harry won't shut up about having toast for breakfast!" Dudley replied crossly, his brows furrowed.

"Well we'll have toast, and pancakes, and whatever you want. We'll be going to the buffet with Carla, after all, this is our last day here." Petunia had made the plans with Carla for such a thing only yesterday, knowing that it was best the boys spend a little time with their long time care-taker before Remus Lupin would come and help pack up their few remaining belongings before they'd be departing. Albus had visited earlier the day before, explaining the different ways that a Wizard or Witch traveled, and they had come to an agreement that the use of a Portkey would be the safest way to go. After all, they would be transported directly to their new home.

"But Mum, it's snowing like crazy outside!" Dudley cried out, pointing out the kitchen window where all that could be seen was a load of the fluffy white stuff. But not too far away, Petunia could just barely make out the Snow Plows going through the streets, clearing them of the snow that had fallen. Perhaps there would be time for Dudley and Harry to enjoy the snow, while last minute packing was done.

"Dudley, there are already snow plows going through the streets, we'll be at the Buffet in no time. Now Dudley, why don't you put on your slippers and go ask Carla over for some tea? And the two of you can fold up your bed things so that we don't have to do so much later when Mr. Lupin gets here."

"I'll go ask if Harry goes with me." Dudley announced, not even making a move to get his slippers.

"Only if that's okay with him. Harry, do you want to go with Dudley to ask Carla for some morning tea?"

"Okay…" Soon the two boys were bounding down the apartment stairs in their slippers, despite how many times Petunia had told them to go slowly and quietly so early in the morning in times before.

Carla had apparently been very awake, perhaps with worry over the move.

"I just can't believe that you three are moving so soon… But you know, I have a little something for the boys. I was going to save them for Christmas, but since you'll be gone… I thought it would be good to give it to them early. I've got them in my apartment so right before you three leave…"

"I can hardly believe it either but I promise that we'll write as often as we can. Maybe we'll even take some nice pictures to send to you." Petunia promised

Not even an hour later, the four were found, dressed quite warmly, at the local breakfast buffet. Amazingly Harry was handling himself quite well and was stuffing his face with toast and scrambled eggs, his favorite breakfast foods. Dudley on the other hand, constantly gazed towards the desert area where soft serve ice cream and frozen yogurt could be found as well as other deserts like apple pie, and brownies.

"Mum, how come we couldn't just have cereal for breakfast?" he asked rather crossly. After all, Petunia wasn't one to spoil either of the boys with sweets this early in the day. In fact, she'd made it a rule years before that under no circumstance would they ever eat a dessert or treat at breakfast time. Of course, today was a very special circumstance indeed. After all, they'd be on another continent when they went to bed.

"Dudley, Cereal isn't very filling and we've got a big day today. Why don't you eat some of that sausage you've got there and then afterwards you and Harry can have something from the dessert area.

"Really, Mum? You mean it?" Dudley stared at her in surprise, his eyes wide as he licked his lips, day dreaming of having a delicious ice cream.

"Oh why not… Besides, I think you and Harry are handling today very well."

Before long, the two boys had had their fill and were now struggling to keep from getting sick from all the food they'd stuffed themselves with.

"A-aunt Pe-petunia, d-do we-we have to g-go to-today?"

"Yes we do, Harry… Did you eat too much?"

In response, Harry just nodded slightly.

"Well maybe you and Dudley can play it off outside before we leave. Do you like that idea?"

"Yeah…" Harry slowly replied as the four made their way to Carla's red truck.

On the way home, Petunia couldn't help but look at the familiar route they took and think that it would probably be the last time she'd ever see the area after today.

"C-Carla… Did Aunt Pet-Petunia tell y-you that my fav-favorite color is r-r-red? Like your t-truck?" Harry asked sheepishly, lightly biting his lower lip.

"Actually, Harry, I don't think she did… But you know, I'm sure that you're my truck's favorite too."

"Really?" Harry stared at Carla, a confused look on his face.

"Of course, didn't you know that everything, even the television, and the shoes on your feet, they all think and feel, even if they can't say anything!"

"C-cool!"

All too soon they arrived back at the apartment, and the boys joyously ran off to play in the snow, building some snowmen and like usual, snow angels, writing their names in the snow under the angels. Carla watched the boys play as Petunia packed a few last minute things and waited for the wizards to come.

Naturally Albus, Severus, and Remus had opted to walk in the snow, all the way to Petunia's place. As far as any muggle friend of the family knew, most of the family's items had already been shipped by air and would be awaiting their arrival at their new home.

"So, Severus, have you found anything that might help us yet?" Remus asked as they walked.

"Actually, yes I have. I was able to find a muggle book about a mental disorder called Autism. Now I'm not completely sure about it, after all, I have no experience in muggle mental disorders, but he does display some rather strong signs of the disorder."

"Ah yes, Severus, at least now we know what to expect. Now, I was wondering if one of you would be kind enough to stay nearby Miss Evans and the boys while they get settled in? After all, I'm sure after living surrounded by Muggles, the three of them won't be very comfortable right off in a Wizarding Community."

"I'd gladly do it, Albus, but with the full moon approaching… I fear that I would be of no use and would only scare them…" Remus said, letting out a heavy sigh.

"Of course, m'boy… Severus, I know you're eager to get back to the school, but I need you to watch over them, make sure that they don't run into any trouble…"

"I suppose I can do just that, Headmaster."

Soon they were at the Evans family apartment and Petunia ordered a taxi while Carla brought the boys up as well as her surprise.

"Well boys, I'm going to miss you two… After all, it's not like I'll be able to drop in any time I want, or vice versa, but I've got something of a farewell present for you two. Here…" Carla handed the boys a mid sized square box covered with green wrapping paper and a red bow. "Go on, open them…"

Dudley tore into his like a ravenous animal, while Harry had a bit of trouble getting the paper off and the box opened, but he still did it. In the boxes were Walkmen and some various tapes of music that the boys liked.

"Well?"

"Woah, Carla, you're the best!" Dudley cried, having never been able to have a Walkman before.

"Yeah… Aunt Pe-tunia can you h-help me?" Harry asked, holding up his Walkman and a tape.

"Of course, here…" Petunia said as she put a tape in the Walkman and handed it back to Harry. There was one last thing to be done before the Taxi came, and that was to get the blue eyed pup into a crate so that he wouldn't be any trouble when it came to take the Key Port to their new home.

"Cool!" he cried out, as one of his favorite sing along songs played, a grin immediately crossing his face as songs from Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck, and other Disney characters played.

"Well I'm happy you boys like them. I heard that they were all the rage for kids of all ages…" Carla replied smiling a bit sadly. "Now Petunia, you must send letters. I want to hear all about where you're going to live and how the boys are doing in school and such!" Carla said as she and Petunia hugged tightly

"Of course, I'll write you, Carla! What would ever make you think otherwise?" Petunia replied just as a bright yellow taxi van pulled up. Severus got into the van with Petunia, the puppy, and the boys while Remus and Albus both opted to stay behind and get the rest of the stuff packed up.

Petunia couldn't help but shed a few tears as they drove off, the boys turning in their seats to wave goodbye.

"B-bye..." Harry whispered, his teary emerald orbs still focused on Carla as he waved half-heartedly.

Severus cleared his throat as they got too far to see their old apartment. "I really do hope that the three of you will like your new home..." Of course this statement alone, from anyone who knew only about the dark, snarky, Slytherin side of the Severus Snape, would have found the words coming from his mouth very odd indeed. After all, he was perhaps, not very good at idle chit chat, mostly because he hated that time of conversation, but something had changed about Severus since the plane ride to this place.

"I'm sure we will." Petunia replied, her gaze on the snowy ground outside as they went down several streets until they finally made it to the motel that the Wizards had been staying in. Severus paid the driver and he led the family to the privacy of the motel room before taking out a rather small, golden colored Yo-yo. "

"I guess I should probably explain a bit to you... We will be using this here, Portkey as our transportation to your new residence. I want each one of you to grab hold of each other and if you can, hold onto the Portkey as well." They all, including Severus Snape, grabbed onto each other and the Portkey and in seconds they were gone.

A/N: Okay this is about 9 and ½ pages long, and it's very hot outside right now. I'm very sorry for not posting this chapter sooner but I had to work out kinks in it and, just as I had started it, I had to move back to Washington... which meant that I had to bust my butt taking care of my Sister's four kids... and they are quite the handful, but I do love them dearly. Anyway, this is dedicated to Emma Barrows, who has helped me get through writing this, Stephanie who took all the kids over to her house overnight so that I could finish this chapter, and of course, Mike, my brother in law who has kindly allowed me to have all the Pepsi and Fudgesicles that I can handle.

Anyway, I know people are still reading, but not reviewing. Please people, even if you don't have an account, you can at least review anonymously, and if that doesn't suit you, go ahead and register. It's free! Oh and I promise to get another chapter going soon... I should probably be hitting myself over the head for leaving this to rot for so long... but hey, now Petunia and the kids will be living in Hogsmeade... so tons of interesting things should start happening in Chapter 10 and on...

And another thing... My dog Blackie, died this past week... He's the one that the blue eyed pup was based on... after all, Blackie, such a charming dog he was with his human looking blue eyes... **Sigh... **Anyway, Read, Review, and Stay Tuned!


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